MONTREAL -- Carey Price continued his fine month of March with a victory in his 700th game as the Montreal Canadiens displayed plenty of the fight that had been lacking in their 4-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets last night.
The Habs again eased their way out of the blocks as Price made some timely yet unspectacular saves in the first few minutes to relieve some early pressure. A familiar script seemed to have been set in motion as the hungry Jets, like Calgary, appeared to be the aggressors on the night.
Yet unbeknownst to Habs fans who had watched the team underperform after such unconvincing starts in Alberta, the theme of this particular game would turn out to be strikingly different.
The Habs were simply ruthless in punishing turnovers made by the Jets.
First, it was Andrew Copp’s mishandling of the puck at the blueline that led to Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s opener. Then Josh Morrisey’s fanned backhand became Josh Anderson’s 12th of the season. Finally, Neal Pionk’s ill-advised pass up the middle turned into to a three-on-none that Tyler Toffoli tucked underneath the bar. In what was a rather even game that in the end could have gone either way, Winnipeg’s carelessness with the puck was happily pounced upon by the Canadiens and turned the tide in their favour.
"We competed tonight," acknowledged Anderson after the game. "The full effort from everybody was there tonight and it was a huge two points. We needed that to get back on track."
To Anderson’s point, the Jets’ wounds were not entirely self-inflicted. The Habs were back to their relentless best, dogged and determined on the puck carrier to create those turnovers. They hunted in packs, supporting the forecheck of their teammates to quickly turn defense into offense. And matching that determination was a combativeness that had been lacking of late.
No, there was no Herculean scraps like Milan Lucic vs Anderson or JT Miller vs Ben Chiarot, the latter of which has cost the Canadiens an important defenceman for the lion’s share of the regular season. The Habs were just unwilling to be bullied before or after the whistle by the Jets. Shea Weber and Joel Edmundsson moved bodies out of Price’s sightline. Alexander Romanov rattled the boards on more than one occasion, most notably on Nikolaj Ehlers. Brendan Gallagher was back to his pugilistic best. Nick Suzuki, the victim of some focused physical play of late, did not shy away from contact but was rather determined to give as well as he received.
"It’s awesome to see," said Jonathan Drouin on Suzuki’s battle level on the night. "Maybe he’s fighting the puck a little bit or he’s not playing his best hockey but he’s working hard. He’s fighting through it … I thought tonight he just worked hard … he’s a good player so teams are going to target him a little bit, they know he’s one of our good players. But again, he answered back and he’s fighting."
The fight Drouin alluded to was apparent not just in Suzuki but in fellow centers Kotkaniemi and Phillip Danault, albeit in different ways. The young Finn was surgical with his stick in the offensive zone, hounding the Jets into turnovers and giveaways that led to either chances or zone time. Danault, who was a game time decision after playing hurt in Calgary, pressured the Jets into mistakes along the boards and in the defensive zone. Even as the Jets pushed in the third period the Habs centermen prevented them from either gaining easy access to their zone through the middle or getting quality shots off in the slot.
There were a few nervy moments late where the Habs bent but didn’t break. That’s perfectly normal because the Jets are a good hockey team. But consider that at even strength the Canadiens shutout Winnipeg and did so quite convincingly for the majority of the contest. That’s huge for a defensive corps that featured three new pairings for the first time this season and an AHL defenseman in Xavier Ouelett suiting up for his first game for the big club in 2021.
The Habs got a massive win last night to stop bleeding points in the North division. With Calgary’s improved play of late and Toronto faltering, the standings just got a whole lot tighter. The Canadiens picked a prime time to begin to rebuild their relationship with that fickle friend named confidence.
PLAYER RATINGS
Carey Price – 8/10
Timely would be the word to describe his best moments last night. Made some tricky saves early to allow his team to settle in. Best of the night was an athletic pad save on a tip in the slot that would have tied things up at 3-3. He’s sporting a .950 save percentage in the month of March to go along with a 4-1 record. Not too shabby.
Defencemen
Shea Weber – 6/10
Moved some mountains in front of his goaltender. Plus 2 on the night is also something to build on. His pairing with Edmundson worked out better than many would have thought. Still struggled at times to pass the puck out effectively but break outs were helped by forwards who supported deep.
Joel Edmundson – 7/10
Huge block at the end prevented a Jets scoring chance and also earned him an assist on Tyler Toffoli’s empty netter. Just very simply keeps the puck moving in his own zone, whether along the boards or with short passes to get out of trouble. Hemmed in with Weber on a few occasions but coped.
Jeff Petry – 8/10
Must be magnetic the way he was ringing them off the posts last night. A friendly carom and he could have had his 12th of the season. Most used Habs defencemen played his greatest hits: Pushed the play up the ice with his skating, constantly activated, solid defensively.
Brett Kulak – 7/10
“I don't know, our play just meshes good,” was how he described postgame his seemingly telepathic relationship with Petry. When they are paired together, they rarely put a foot wrong. Passing was crisp and looked more confident joining the rush. Most minutes he’s played this season. Will be leaned on heavily the rest of the way without Chiarot in the lineup.
Alexander Romanov – 7/10
Gets this rating purely for his physicality. Sent Ehlers into next month with a borderline hit. Then dropped the Dane when he went back for retribution. The two battled each other all night long. Passing was a little suspect at times but grew into the game. Not much offensively though.
Xavier Ouelett – 6/10
Did not think there would be many times Ouelett would be getting rated this season. But perfectly average for his first game of the year. No fear from him when it comes to either physicality or shot blocking. His passing method is best described as just get it out of the zone. But had a positive effect on Romanov. An interesting option on the blueline going forward. Temporary.
Forwards
Nick Suzuki – 7/10
Confidence cleanser. He and Pierre-Luc Dubois went at each other all night long and credit to him for not backing down. Earned an assist on Anderson’s goal and finally took a few shots on net, ending the night with three. Dangled Damelo out of his jock in the third and could have put the game away but stopped by Hellebuyck. A step in the right direction for a young man who’s struggled lately.
Tyler Toffoli – 8/10
He’s on pace for 34 goals in the shortened season. Pro-rated that’s 50. Pretty ridiculous stuff. For a player who doesn’t move that well he’s surprisingly effective on the forecheck. Could have made a meal of his 3-on-0 but just outwaited Connor Hellebuyck before coolly slotting it home. Led the team with six shots on target. Made the Jets turn the puck over multiple times. Where would this team be without him.
Brendan Gallagher – 6/10
Irritant. Nice little punch to Appleton’s jaw kicked off some fireworks in the second. Shouldn’t be surprising that he would mesh with a guy who likes to make plays in tight like Suzuki but it definitely worked. Stopped point blank by Hellebuyck on one chance in the first. Almost forgot about his penalty shot! Not as bad as he made it sound, solid blocker save by the Jets goalie.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi – 8/10
His stick check on Copp and subsequent finish gave his team belief when they desperately needed some. His forechecking was on another level last night as he hounded the Jets, either getting his stick in the way to knock down pucks or simply stick lifting them into oblivion. Looks like he’s learned some tricks from his pal Joel Armia. Should’ve scored on another great rush chance but his slot shot just went wide. He and Price have had a fantastic month so far.
Jonathan Drouin – 7/10
Hasn’t been quite as obviously impactful of late but keeps on piling up the points, which is the main reason he’s out there. Held the puck just the perfect amount of time before finding Kotkaniemi for his tap in finish. Leads the team in assists with 17. Looked more confident on the powerplay than we’ve seen in a while. Should’ve scored on a breakaway that should’ve been a penalty shot. Emerging as a leader on this team. Encouraging signs continue.
Josh Anderson – 7/10
Was really good in a different way. No bone jarring hits, in fact no hits at all (!!!). No real rush chances whatsoever either. But he backed up his words about compete level on Sunday with his desperation secondary assist for Kotkaniemi’s opener. He was Johnny-on-the-spot to put his goal away on the powerplay. Was in danger of gaining the Max Pacioretty reputation of being great at even strength and just okay on the man advantage. We’ll see. A post for good measure. Like Toffoli, where would this team be without him.
Phillip Danault – 7/10
A purely defensive showing from him and he did it ever so well. Harassed the puck carrier in the defensive zone and was calm under pressure to find the open man breaking out. Created some odd man rushes with his turnovers near the blueline. His offensive zone time was limited to cycling along the boards but did a decent job of it. Considering he was a doubt to play, a very good showing.
Joel Armia – 5/10
Quiet night for him, save for some spurts where the puck seemed glued to his stick. Only one shot on goal with no hits which is a little disappointing. Kept up with the pace of the game but couldn’t really get free for any real opportunities. Did some decent work covering the points in the defensive zone.
Tomas Tatar – 6/10
Looked like he was playing with a purpose with the puck on his stick. Did his patented button curl in the offensive zone a couple of times. But chances were few and far between. Continued to look good on the powerplay though. Tried going between the legs again. Shows where his confidence is at.
Jake Evans – 5/10
Continued to struggle mightily in the faceoff circle, as his clean loss on the penalty kill led to Connors’ first. Got dinged pretty good on what should have been a boarding penalty for Stanley. Went for repairs to his nose. Wasn’t particularly noticeable after that.
Paul Byron – 5/10
Positionally needs to do better on Connors’ first on the powerplay. Drifted too high and allowed him to walk down on the wall. He supported the puck really well in both the offensive and defensive zones at even strength. Never got a real chance to show off his speed.
Corey Perry – 5/10
Had one crafty play in tight stopped by the glove of Hellebuyck. But was the Habs least used forward in what was a rather quiet night for him. Thought he’d be more of standout due to the physical nature of the game.
Coach
Dominique Ducharme – 8/10
Made a couple of bold changes and they seemingly all came off. For one night at least, all of the changes to his pairings on the blueline looked like a stroke of genius, especially reuniting Kulak and Petry. Up front, Gallagher and Toffoli seemed to rejuvenate Suzuki and the Kotkaniemi-Drouin-Anderson trio earned him a goal within the opening minutes. Pretty impressive stuff.
