It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, and you’d think it would be a step forward for the Montreal Canadiens, who nearly ran into an oncoming bus backwards on Thursday.
Still, despite struggling to salvage some of the dignity they sacrificed in a 9-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins two days earlier on Saturday, the Canadiens outplayed themselves once again.
This time, the team lost 4-2 to the NHL-leading Winnipeg Jets, who took the lead with six seconds left on Vladislav Namestnikov’s Shoot the puck into an empty net. But the Canadiens essentially put a dagger in front of their own heart before being stabbed straight through by the Jets.
You can’t help but wonder how damaging this model could be in the long run for a team that’s nearly halfway through rebuilding. Continuing to fail in the same way – with so much action helping the opposition and so little helping itself – is bound to cause a degree of trauma. Especially when the effort and intention are in the right place.
On Saturday, they were at the Canadian Life Center again. From the start, the Canadiens scored 18 of their first 26 shots and took the lead 7:48 into the first period on Lane Hutson’s first NHL goal.
This should be an exciting thing. Just looking at the reaction from the bench, and even from head coach Martin St. Louis, you would have thought that would be the case.
But less than six minutes later, Kirby Dach converted an unnecessarily high-stick penalty 150 feet from his own goal on one of the league’s best power plays, and the Canadiens were killing it. At that time, he was just warming up in the penalty area. Broken down to Gabe Vilardi’s benefit.
Two minutes and seven seconds later, the Canadiens’ first line was locked in a long rotation that eventually saw six-foot-five Jets captain Adam Lowry capitalize on a mismatch with Hutson in front of the net to put the score away. It’s 2-1.
If Dach’s indiscipline was costly, Cole Caufield and Christian Dvorak gave the Jets a five-on-three advantage in the fifth minute of the second quarter that proved fatal.
Kyle Connor is sure of it.
At least the Canadiens didn’t give up right then and there, like they did when they scored against the Penguins 4-2 in Thursday’s game.
It’s just that they would have had a better chance of coming back and beating the Jets if they hadn’t taken three more penalties in the final 25 minutes of play.
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The Canadiens know that’s the difference.
“We knew they had a really good power play,” Mike Matheson told reporters after the game. “We gave them too many chances.”
Josh Anderson added a field goal late in the second quarter and another with 12 minutes left in the third to close the gap.
The Canadiens gained momentum from that and created two of their nine scoring chances in the game.
They looked dangerous at six on five towards the end of the game, but after Brendan Gallagher converted a harsh penalty, they had just 1:35 left to make that play. One advantage.
At least the Canadiens kept trying, and St. Louis said he was encouraged by their response.
Maybe the players do too, but the frustration of letting another game slip away isn’t easy to deal with.
This is Montreal’s 19th The loss of the season, followed by a great period of hockey, was ruined in dramatic fashion in the 18th century.th loss. You might think that since the response to this is quite good, it’s another step in the right direction.
But until the self-destructive pattern is broken, no one is betting on it.
Hutson’s first goal was the result of his determination
You might think it’s a skill — when a player reads the scrimmage like Houston does, quickly catches a pass and handles the puck once, then fires it toward the NHL’s top candidate for the Vezina Trophy — But the goal was scored for another reason.
For weeks, Hutson has been on the ice with Canucks director of development Adam Nicholas before practices, taking shooting drills from that exact spot (and beyond). Saturday’s goal was the result of that effort. He put in the extra time and it paid off on Saturday.
The goal came from Hutson’s No. 32ND NHL game, it would be his first of many goals in this league — even if he said afterwards, “You never know when it’s going to be your last goal or your first goal. ”
With that in mind, the 20-year-old’s celebration was relatively low-key, spinning the club down into its imaginary holster much like Tiger Woods spinning his No. 1 after hitting the ball 300 yards from the fairway. Like wood.
But everyone around Hutson was ecstatic.
Matheson and Caufield scrambled to get the puck out of Connor Helleback’s net. St. Louis leads this fist-pumping team off the Canadiens bench.
How does that make Hutson feel?
“These guys accepted me from the beginning,” he said, “and it was just great for me.”
It’s not just because of Hutson’s game-breaking talent; it’s mainly because he aims to make a difference on every shift and puts everything he has into preparation so that he can actually make a difference on any given shift. effect.
“He plays a big role, he brings a lot to the table,” said St. Louis, who averaged nearly 23 minutes a game with Hutson during his rookie season.
“I think everyone’s been talking about (him not scoring) for a while,” St. Louis added, “but I have no doubt Ryan Hutson is going to score in this league. To see him get tonight One, it’s so much fun.”
Hutson has to make it happen quickly, which is the kind of determination you want in any young player.
The Canadiens can only hope this rubs off on everyone around him.
