MONTREAL -- It was better but still nowhere close to good enough from the Montreal Canadiens as the Calgary Flames punished their mistakes in last night’s 5-2 victory over the Habs.
What else is left to be said about this maddening team?
Interim head coach Dominique Ducharme spoke to the media pre-game yesterday and called last night’s matchup a “must win” for the Canadiens so as to keep the Flames at arm’s length from hunting them down for the final playoff spot in the North.
If that was a must win, then what does tomorrow night’s game become? Because it could very much be their season that hangs in the balance Monday night.
The Habs lead has now shrunk to four measly points with a game in hand over the Flames. They have been putrid in April with three games left, going a stinky 4-10-1 so far this month.
Which seems more likely to happen tomorrow night based purely on recent history? The Canadiens beating Calgary to essentially guarantee themselves playoff participation? Or the Flames running their record on the Habs to 7-2 and turning the final nine games into an even race for the playoffs?
The Canadiens played some of their worst hits from their 2021 album in last night’s loss.
After a strong opening period, Johnny Gaudreau’s goal with 30 seconds left in the first changed the entire context of the game. It was striking to see the fragility of the Habs confidence as they allowed Calgary to grow into and eventually take a foothold in the game.
The inaccurate passing returned. The Canadiens forecheck disappeared and the team seemed to be continuously backing up instead of pushing forward. All of a sudden, the team was down by two and it took a trio of completely ineffective power plays to completely sap the belief from the group.
Tyler Toffoli threw his teammates a life line late in the period but even before Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s turnover at his blueline led to the backbreaker, the Habs were not playing with the level of desperation that was required to beat the Flames trap in the neutral zone. There wasn’t enough compete on the forecheck and yet again they lost the majority of their one-on-one battles along the boards.
Even after all these games against Calgary the Canadiens coaching staff have still not figured out how to attack the interior of the Flames defense with any kind of regularity.
One solution could be turning to one of the best players not playing in the NHL.
With the injuries to Paul Byron and now Tomas Tatar after he was unable to finish the game due to a lower body injury, Canadiens fans could get their first look of prized prospect Cole Caufield in the team’s biggest game of the season. Whether it be tomorrow night or not, the promotion of Caufield is so enticing because it is the first step in changing the mindset of the organization when it comes to their utilization of young players.
Make no mistake about it: Caufield is here to do one thing and that is score goals. It has been his modus operandi his entire life. To be counted upon to produce he will need to be protected, yes. But he will also have to be given a substantial amount of ice time with the best offensive players on the team.
With all due respect to Phillip Danault, the fact that he was playing with Tatar and Josh Anderson instead of Kotkaniemi is kind of the point. Danault could be just as effective doing his elite defensive work while flanked by Joel Armia and Artturi Lehkonen. That would allow better offensive players to play with the more obviously talented Finnish centreman. But there is still a reticence to fully unleash Kotkaniemi offensively that continues to baffle.
That can’t be the plan for Caufield.
Shelter him? Sure. But ensuring he learns how to play a 200-foot game or playing him with Danault before taking the shackles off is cutting him at the knees before he has even stepped on the ice.
Former Wisconsin forward Cole Caufield (8) could be ready to be released onto the ice in a Habs sweater. His assignment would be simple: score. (John Mersits/South Bend Tribune via AP)
Caufield’s natural skill will force Ducharme to play him with one of either Kotkaniemi or Suzuki. The knock-on effect will ensure that the Canadiens young skill forwards will be playing with other talented young forwards on the team. Who knows, maybe it’ll even convince Ducharme to take the training wheels off of a certain Russian defenseman. Or even a fourth line centreman.
The Habs reset under Marc Bergevin is rather useless if they don’t put their faith in the young players they’ve worked so hard to acquire. The team’s veterans aren’t getting the job done with any kind of consistency. It’s time to trust the kids to pull the Canadiens out of this mess.
The Habs need Caufield. Caufield needs to play. It’s a marriage that could save their playoff lives.
Player Ratings
Goaltender
Cayden Primeau – 6/10
Looked pretty calm and efficient in his movements. But also had some issues with rebound control. Should have done better on Lucic’s goal despite being screened. He’ll improve no doubt but just seemed to lose focus at times. Big save on Lindholm on a 2-on-1 gave the Habs a chance to get back in the game.
Defencemen
Shea Weber – 5/10
His repeated attempts at getting his shot through on the power play was so predictable it was laughable. Gave Tanev and Stone plenty of time to get out and block it. Passing was again an issue as he either didn’t look up while making plays behind his net or just wasn’t able to complete those simple exchanges. Needs to set the physical tone like he did against the Oilers. Solid on the penalty kill. Did do a better job pinching down into the offensive zone.
Ben Chiarot – 4/10
Got absolutely run over in his first shift of the game. Also did good work on the penalty kill. But cannot understand his defending on Gaudreau’s second of the game. Essentially just let the play happen in behind him with poor stick positioning. Lost the plot. His passing kept the team hemmed in their own zone repeatedly. A combined one hit between he and Weber is nowhere near good enough.
Jeff Petry – 5/10
He has one of those games like he did last night once every 10 games. Like Chiarot had a colossal brain fart on Gaudreu’s second. Mishandled the back pass and lost the battle on the boards with Mangiapane. Tried to get involved offensively but couldn’t. Led the blueline with four hits. Like the majority of his teammates faded as the game wore on. Not good enough on the power play.
Joel Edmundson – 6/10
Had his ice time cut as Ducharme tried to get seven defencemen into the game. Good on the penalty kill as well. Physical pinching in at the blueline. Classic less is more from him. Finished the night with an even rating. Classic Edmundson. Wayward passing.
Jon Merrill – 4/10
Rough night at the office for one of the new guys. Played less than 10 minues but was minus three. Not exactly a great pass to Kotkaniemi in the middle that led to the turnover that led to Ritchie’s goal. Wiped out on the side for good measure. Positioning was way off for Gaudreau’s first. Romanov may have been caught pinching in but there was no one else in the neutral zone yet gave the Flames forward a big cushion.
Alexander Romanov – 6/10
A strangely quiet night from him. Had a chance to tie things up off a slot shot just before the Flames scored their fourth. Passing stood out because he was one of the few who could complete some. Compete level is always high and was more than willing to put up a fight. Yet played less than 14 minutes. Not particularly physical but didn’t have to be.
Erik Gustafsson – 6/10
Made some defensive reads and decisions that must’ve gave Ducharme some grey hair. But his support of the attack led to both of his secondary assists, with his second on Toffoli’s goal a pretty slick play before a masterful pass by Perry. Pretty striking to watch how just an adequate puck moving defenseman seemed to give the offense a shot in the arm. Better passer than nearly everyone else on the blueline.
Forwards
Nick Suzuki – 7/10
Went to the dirty areas for his first goal in six games. Looked more confident than he has in a little while. Not as good defensively as he had been the previous couple of games. His drop pass into the zone was the build-up for Toffoli’s goal. But also lost the faceoff clean for Lucic’s go-ahead goal. Brutal in the faceoff dot. One of the few to show purpose on the power play and led the forwards with four shots.
Corey Perry – 6/10
Not sure how much he is to blame for going minus four on the night but it certainly doesn’t look great. What looked beautiful was his terrific one-touch backhand pass to Toffoli on the power play for his goal. Went to the net and always a pain. But his influence waned as the game went on.
Tyler Toffoli – 6/10
Johnny on the spot for his 24th of the season, which is simply ridiculous. But the remainder of the game didn’t do much offensively. Credit to him he at least tried to get there. Someone other than he and Anderson have to start producing with any regularity. His goal-scoring record during April is the only thing that’s keeping the Habs in the playoff hunt.
Phillip Danault – 5/10
Really good on faceoffs once again. Four hits are nice, sure. But if he’s playing with offensive players he must produce offensively. Had a tame backhand at goal. That was about it. Aggressive on the penalty kill. Did battle hard.
Tomas Tatar – 5/10
Nice play through the neutral zone and then a drop pass at the blueline to set up Suzuki’s opener. After that made some questionable passes that were easily picked off by Flames defenders. Revealed post-game that he is dealing with an injury that forced him out of the game.
Josh Anderson – 6/10
Led the forwards in ice time and never lacks in the effort department. But no shots on goal and only three hits is a rather tame showing from him. Did go to the net for a chance that didn’t come.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi – 5/10
Liked what he was trying to do offensively, both for himself and for his linemates. One of the few who looked like he had a plan on the power play. But it was his turnover in the neutral zone that led to Ritchie’s back-breaking goal. Needs to be physical to be at his best. He’s the best on faceoffs outside of Danault but isn’t trusted to take important draws. Should change if Staal continues to struggle.
Artturi Lehkonen – 5/10
If his shot in the second goes in instead of ringing off the iron it’s a tie game at 2-2 and game on. Should have been better on the forecheck, which is where he really shines. Wasn’t at his skating best.
Joel Armia – 5/10
Looked like a beast in the first where he forced multiple turnovers in the offensive zone. Led the forwards with five hits. But four of those must have been in the opening period because he looked off the mark the further the game went on. Decent on the penalty kill.
Eric Staal – 5/10
Had much more battle than we’ve seen recently, but he has cement legs. He’s off the pace up and down the ice. Losing more than half his draws is not ideal for a guy who’s counted upon to do just that. Went to the dirty areas so give him credit for that. But it’s been a struggle for him so far in his Habs career.
Jake Evans – 7/10
The problem for the rest of the team is that he looked like one of the most energetic players out there. Credit to him for performing so well in his return to action. Quick on the forecheck and lively in one-on-one battles. Picked up an assist going to the net for Suzuki’s opener. Went back there quite a few times.
Coach
Dominique Ducharme – 5/10
His inability to communicate to his players how to break the Flames trap doesn’t inspire much confidence. No consistency, inability to exit their own zone, lack of intensity. Just more of the same and the coach doesn’t seem to know how to fix it. Handicapped by the current roster restrictions up front of course. But has to find solutions or risk being a coach of the Canadiens for a few months in a shortened pandemic season.
