It’s only six games into the season, and there’s plenty of hockey remaining. But we’re wondering if Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis is starting to lose some of his patience? And whether he’s sending messages to some players?
When Montreal took to the ice against the New York Islanders on Saturday night at UBS Arena, it was without arguably its two toughest players.
There was nothing surprising about winger Michael Pezzetta being a healthy scratch for the sixth game, and counting. But what should be made, if anything, of 6-foot-4, 240-pound defenceman Arber Xhekaj not dressing, especially with Kaiden Guhle (upper-body injury) remaining back home?
We understand St. Louis wanting to get Jayden Struble, who had been injured, into the lineup for the first time this season. And management had to justify Friday’s recall from Laval of former first-round draft choice Logan Mailloux. Otherwise, he could have remained with the AHL Rocket, where he already had two goals and four points in two games.
But the Canadiens have a reputation of being a small and soft team. Everybody’s presence grows when Xhekaj’s on the ice.
This is Montreal. We, here at the Hidden Game, are allowed to second-guess coaching decisions.
Patience is a virtue — but not so much in this city. We could hear teeth gnashing after the Islanders went ahead 2-0 in the first period.
On the other hand, say what you will about St. Louis’s team, but they never quit. By the end of the second period, the score was 2-2. And they sent the game to overtime with a late third-period goal before losing 4-3 in a shootout.
News you need (Part I): Six of the last seven games between these teams have been decided by one goal. The Islanders also have defeated Montreal five successive times on home ice.
The good news: Cayden Primeau, making his first start in net for the Canadiens since allowing six goals at Boston on Oct. 10, stopped the first shot he faced, from Anthony Duclair, 66 seconds into the game. Primeau also didn’t allow a rebound on the shot, which struck his chest.
The bad news: Primeau was beaten on the fourth and fifth shots he faced, the goals coming from Bo Horvat, on the power-play, at 14:31 of the opening period, and Kyle Palmieri, low to the stick side, less than three minutes later.
The better news: Primeau could have crumbled at this juncture. To his credit, he didn’t.
News you need (Part II): Horvat’s goal was only the second scored by the Islanders this season with the man-advantage. They entered the game with one goal off 10 opportunities. Even someone as mathematically challenged as we are can figure out that works out to a 10-per-cent efficiency rate. And that’s not good.
Go figure: The season started with 20-year-old rookie defenceman Lane Hutson teamed with 33-year-old David Savard. Not exactly hard to figure out. But Hutson, who played 30 minutes last Thursday against Los Angeles, has earned so much trust and confidence from St. Louis he was paired with rookie Mailloux, 21, against the Islanders.
Guess the shoulder’s OK: Juraj Slafkovsky left Friday’s practice early, favouring his left shoulder. But in the game’s 11th minute, he crunched defenceman Adam Pelech against the end boards. Mind you, it was with his right shoulder.
News you need (Part III): Cole Caufield, who scores from some mind-boggling sharp angles, opened the scoring on the power play with his team-leading fifth goal this season. His sixth game late in regulation. Four of his goals have come in the first period. And Caufield now has picked the upper-left corner 26 times in his young career. In 211 games, Caufield now has 87 goals.
Late goals kill: Caufield’s score came with four seconds remaining in the opening period.
So do early goals: Mailloux’s first career NHL goal came at 59 seconds of the second period.
Pass of the night: Jake Evans to Mailloux.
This close to another one: In the sixth minute of the middle period, Caufield was denied on a breakaway.
There’s a first time for everything: Midway through the period, the Canadiens, unable to make a line change, were under intense pressure. Oliver Kapanen, playing without a stick, Josh Anderson, Mailloux, Christian Dvorak and Hutson all were on the ice for more than three minutes. Somehow, they miraculously didn’t surrender a goal.
That must have hurt: We can only imagine how battered and bruised Savard’s body is most nights. In the last minute of the period, he blocked a Horvat shot off the back of his skate and limped off.
Dumb penalties: Take your pick — Joel Armia tripping Palmieri in the offensive zone; Justin Barron’s high-stick on Jean-Gabriel Pageau, both in the third period; or Kirby Dach’s high-stick on Palmieri in overtime. The Canadiens took five consecutive penalties.
Next time, decline the penalty: The Islanders went 1-for-6 on the power-play.
News you need (Part IV): While the Canadiens were forced to kill three penalties in the third period, they also generated only three shots.
Quick stats: Both Savard and Mike Matheson blocked five shots. Matheson logged 28:10 — four minutes more than Hutson. With 33 stops, Primeau’s save percentage was .917.
They said it: “Obviously, after my last outing, I wanted to have a strong rebound,” Primeau told the media post-game in Elmont, N.Y. “Goals go in. They got two in the first, but it didn’t faze me. The No. 1 takeaway from today is that we battled.”
“I thought we took care of the game for the most part,” Caufield told the media on site. “The score didn’t show for that part. We stuck with it and gave ourselves a really good chance. For sure it’s a building block. We’re never out of any game.”