After suffering a tough loss in the sixth round of the shootout on Friday night, the Montreal Canadiens were back on the ice less than 24 hours later to complete their Western road trip with a duel with the Los Angeles Kings. While the Habs were very vocal in their frustration about how they played on Friday night, it didn’t show in the way they started the game in Los Angeles.
Despite the loss in Anaheim, Martin St-Louis stuck to the same lineup aside from Jakub Dobes manning the net after yet another subpar display from Samuel Montembeault on Friday.
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For a second game in a row, the Canadiens just weren’t ready to start the game. In Anaheim, they gave 12 shots in the first period while taking only four, and somehow, they managed to do worse on Saturday night. The Kings pummelled Dobes’ net with 16 shots in the first 20 minutes, including nine on the man-advantage. The Czech netminder looked very sharp on the penalty kill, making nine saves while the men in black passed the puck around as if they were the Harlem Globetrotters playing a team of kindergarten students.
The only goal Dobes conceded was at even strength on an odd-man rush after a questionable play from a knackered Brendan Gallagher in the offensive zone. The veteran was on the ice for over a minute and didn’t have any gas left to defend when the play went the other way. Adrian Kempe served a perfect feed to captain Anze Kopitar, who only had to tip it over a powerless Dobes.
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The Canadiens’ inability to start on time in these last two games has been puzzling, to say the least. Whatever the reason, it’s just unacceptable, especially as the season is entering its final stretch and every team is fighting for points with desperation. It’s not because the Kings are just a much stronger team either, in the second frame, Montreal put 11 shots on net.
When Juraj Slafkovsky first came to the NHL, he struggled to stay on his feet in the league’s tough physical battles, but not anymore. In the second frame, he battled for puck possession in the offensive zone with Scott Laughton, and he almost carried him on his back as he made his way to the high slot to take a precise shot that gave the Canadiens a 2-1 lead.
It’s easy to forget that Slafkovsky is still only 21 years old because he’s already in his fourth NHL season, but it remains true. When he graduated with the Habs, he still had some growing up and some filling up to do. Now that it’s done, he’s become a force to be reckoned with.
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That goal was his 50th point of the season, and with it, he became the first player in Canadiens’ history to have three consecutive 50-point seasons before the age of 22. That’s an impressive feat, especially when you consider how much history this franchise has. The big Slovak added another goal in the third frame, and an assist to get to 52 points, a new career high with 20 games left to play.
Once again tonight, the Canadiens failed to protect the lead they acquired in the second period when Laughton and Alex Laferriere found the back of the net. At that stage, the Habs looked defeated. Nick Suzuki had slouched shoulders, and Mike Matheson looked discouraged before heading to the bench and slamming the door. Given how L.A. scored the third goal, it was almost understandable.
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Dobes made a couple of saves, but he couldn’t smother the rebound, and it was pushed back in. While it’s obvious that he could have done a better job controlling the rebounds, Matheson, Suzuki, and Kaiden Guhle didn’t exactly cover the slot very well.
However, they were all able to shake it off, roll up their collective sleeves with just over 13 minutes left in the third, and claw their way back into the game. Slafkovsky’s second goal tied up the score with just over five minutes to go, and Suzuki scored what would stand as the game-winner less than a minute later.
With over four minutes left, the Canadiens finally protected a lead, even after the Kings pulled their goalie for an extra skater, something they have struggled with this season. Dobes surrendered three goals on 39 shots for a .923 save percentage. Granted, he gave up a weak goal to Laughton, but without his performance, the game could have been over after the first frame. Furthermore, he didn’t let that weak goal get to him; he shook it off and got right back on the horse, so to speak. This was the Canadiens’ first win in L.A. since March 2019 and it was long overdue.
The Canadiens will now head back home for what will be another tiring week featuring a couple of back-to-backs. Given the schedule, it’s highly likely that we’ll see both goaltenders, but in an ideal world, St-Louis would be able to stick to Dobes going forward.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
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