[ad_1]
Breadcrumb Path Hyperlinks
SportsNHLMontreal CanadiensHockey Inside OutHockey
“Profitable’s nice, however we did not fail tonight,” Habs head coach Martin St. Louis says. “We simply did not win.”
Article content material
The Canadiens’ spectacular compete degree was on show once more Saturday evening on the Bell Centre.
Sadly for them, so was their lack of offence — particularly from their forwards — as they misplaced 3-0 to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Article content material
The Canadiens noticed their season-high three-game successful streak come to an finish, however they proceed to play some strong hockey towards one of the best groups within the NHL, together with a 2-1 win over the Avalanche final Tuesday in Colorado.
Commercial 2
Article content material
The Hurricanes improved their document to 47-21-7 they usually now have 101 factors, together with a clinched playoff spot with seven video games left of their common season. The Canadiens fell to 28-33-12. The Hurricanes got here into the sport ranked seventh within the NHL in scoring with a mean of three.38 targets per recreation, whereas the Canadiens ranked twenty seventh with a mean of two.72. The Hurricanes have 5 gamers with at the very least 20 targets, whereas the Canadiens have two: Nick Suzuki (30) and Cole Caufield (20).
Compete degree is an effective factor, however the staff that scores probably the most targets nonetheless wins and the Canadiens wrestle to attain.
This marked the third time this season the Canadiens have been shut out. The primary two occasions had been towards the Los Angeles Kings by similar 4-0 scores.
The Canadiens had been outshot 30-26 by the Hurricanes they usually couldn’t beat goalie Pyotr Kochetkov, who earned his fourth shutout of the season. The Hurricanes’ Jordan Staal (short-handed) and Sebastian Aho (energy play) scored on Samuel Montembeault, whereas Seth Jarvis added an empty-netter.
The Hurricanes have gained their final 9 video games towards the Canadiens and are 16-1-1 within the final 18 matchups between these two groups relationship again to 2017.
Street to the Cup
Article content material
Commercial 3
Article content material
“I feel the gamers know we performed a fairly good recreation,” Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis mentioned in his postgame information convention. “I’m certain we’ll right some errors and stuff. You keep sane when you’ve reality. Profitable’s nice, however we didn’t fail tonight. We simply didn’t win.”
The reality is Canadiens GM Kent Hughes might want to discover some extra forwards who can rating if this rebuild factor goes to work.
Particular groups replace: Aho’s objective was the primary power-play objective the Canadiens have allowed in 5 video games. The Canadiens have killed off 15 of 16 energy performs over the past 5 video games and 19 of 21 over the past six.
The Canadiens went 0-for-3 on the facility play towards the Hurricanes and gave up their league-leading twelfth short-handed objective after defenceman Mike Matheson misplaced the puck on the offensive blue line whereas attempting to make a transfer on his backhand, resulting in a breakaway for Staal.
Commercial 4
Article content material
Season to overlook: Josh Anderson will wish to wipe this season from his reminiscence financial institution as soon as it’s over.
Anderson has now gone 12 video games with out a objective and has just one objective in his final 28 video games. He has gone 11 video games with out a level and has 8-10-18 totals in 69 video games this season.
Anderson’s salary-cap hit is US$5.5 million, however he’s really incomes US$8 million this season. The one two Canadiens incomes extra are Suzuki (US$10 million) and Caufield (US$9.975 million), based on CapFriendly.com. Anderson had two pictures on objective in 15:28 of ice time towards the Hurricanes.
The Canadiens clearly want extra bang for the buck from Anderson, who has three extra seasons remaining on his contract with that US$5.5 million cap hit. Brendan Gallagher, who can also be incomes US$8 million this season, has gone eight video games with out a objective and has 11 on the season.
Caufield has gone six video games with out a objective and has one objective within the final 19 video games. Rafaël Harvey-Pinard isn’t making massive bucks (solely US$1.1 million), however he has gone 20 video games with out a objective and has just one objective in 36 video games this season.
Commercial 5
Article content material
Nonetheless ready: Colin White has now performed 13 video games with the Canadiens since being claimed off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins and has but to register a single level.
Earlier than changing into GM of the Canadiens, Hughes was White’s agent and negotiated a six-year, US$28.5-million contract for him with the Ottawa Senators throughout the summer season of 2019. The Senators, who chosen White within the first spherical (twenty first general) of the 2015 NHL Draft, purchased out that contract in the summertime of 2022. White, 27, is now taking part in on a one-year, US$775,000 contract.
White had zero pictures and 0 hits in 7:56 of ice time towards the Hurricanes and gained solely 4 of the 15 faceoffs he took (27 per cent). In the meantime, Tanner Pearson was made a wholesome scratch for the fourth straight recreation. He has 5-7-12 totals in 49 video games this season.
Kovacevic again in lineup: The one-game suspension the NHL handed all the way down to Canadiens defenceman Kaiden Guhle on Friday opened a spot for Johnathan Kovacevic, who had been a wholesome scratch the earlier three video games.
Kovacevic joined Jayden Struble on the third pairing, whereas Jordan Harris changed Guhle on the highest pairing with Matheson. Arber Xhekaj and David Savard remained collectively.
Commercial 6
Article content material
Guhle was suspended for reaching over from the bench to slash Philadelphia’s Travis Konecny throughout the second interval of the Canadiens’ 4-1 win over the Flyers on Thursday evening on the Bell Centre.
Virtually a Hab: Aho continues to indicate why former Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin gave him a five-year, US$42.27-million provide sheet throughout the summer season of 2019 that may pay him US$21 million over the primary 12 months of the contract, together with signing bonuses. The Hurricanes determined to match the provide.
Aho leads the Hurricanes in scoring this season with 33-52-85 totals. He has 10-13-23 totals in 20 profession video games towards the Canadiens.
Checking in on KK: Former Canadien Jesperi Kotkaniemi is now a fourth-line winger with the Hurricanes — and a well-paid one at that.
The 23-year-old is within the second season of an eight-year, US$38.56-million contract with a salary-cap hit of US$4.82 million. Carolina acquired Kotkaniemi in the summertime of 2021 when Bergevin determined to not match the Hurricanes’ one-year, US$6.1-million provide sheet that appeared like retaliation for the Aho provide.
Kotkaniemi, chosen by the Canadiens with the third general decide on the 2018 NHL Draft, has 11-14-25 totals in 75 video games this season. He was held pointless Saturday evening and had two pictures on objective in 11:28 of ice time.
Commercial 7
Article content material
Kotkaniemi has 63 profession NHL targets. Brady Tkachuk, chosen by the Ottawa Senators with the fourth general draft decide in 2018, has 158 profession targets.
Some stats: Juraj Slafkovsky led the Canadiens with six pictures on objective, however noticed his nine-game level streak come to an finish on his twentieth birthday.
Slafkovsky, Matheson, Suzuki, Caufield and Alex Newhook all completed with a minus-2 differential.
As standard, Michael Pezzetta led the Canadiens with 5 hits in solely 10:21 of ice time. Additionally, as standard, Matheson led the staff in ice time with 25:51. White had the least ice time at 7:56.
What’s subsequent? The Canadiens shall be again in motion Tuesday when the Florida Panthers go to the Bell Centre (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).
scowan@postmedia.com
twitter.com/StuCowan1
Really useful from Editorial
Stu’s Slapshots: Canadiens’ Arber Xhekaj studying to toe the road
Canadiens’ Guhle will get one-game suspension for slashing
Carey Value sells former South Shore residence for $1.52 million
Habs Mailbag: Predicting way forward for Canadiens’ goaltending state of affairs
Article content material
Share this text in your social community
[ad_2]
Source link
