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The Habs kicked off a busy week with a visit to an arena they have never played in at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City to face the Utah Hockey Club, soon to be Yeti. If Montreal came into the contest as one of the league’s hottest teams, the HC was definitely at the other end of that spectrum, winning only two of its last ten games and fading quickly in the Western Conference playoff picture.

The problem in Utah recently has been goal-scoring as they’ve really struggled in that department since an injury to Dylan Guenther. On the other hand, the Habs were marred with distractions coming into the game as Alex Newhook was battling the flu and Emil Heineman was out of the lineup due to being struck by a vehicle when walking near the teams’ hotel. The Canadiens did not show up for the first period as they relied on Samuel Montembeault and their penalty kill to stay in the game. They woke up in the second period and stormed back for a spirited 5-3 win. 

Habs Lineup

Cole Caufield — Nick Suzuki — Juraj Slafkovsky
Patrik Laine – Kirby Dach — Alex Newhook
Brendan Gallagher – Christian Dvorak– Josh Anderson
Michael Pezzetta – Jake Evans — Joel Armia

Lane Hutson – Mike Matheson
Kaiden Guhle — Alexandre Carrier
Arber Xhekaj – David Savard 

Samuel Montembeault 

10 Thoughts

1) The first period saw the Habs get bogged down by four penalties, all earned. The Habs bench was complaining mostly due to the same plays not being called against the Hockey Club more than because their penalties weren’t deserved. Pezzetta kicked things off by taking a blatant holding the stick penalty thirty seconds in. Matheson was called for tripping thirty seconds later. Laine was then called for an after-the-whistle cross-check. Finally, it was Dach for tripping in the final minutes of the period. 

2) The Utah strategy was clear as they applied an aggressive two-man forecheck to pressure the Canadiens. The underlying numbers continue to show that Montreal is prone to giving up high-quality chances and Utah was clearly trying to generate offence by banking on the generous nature of their opposition. They scored twice in the period as Josh Doan put home a Clayton Keller rebound on the initial 5-on-3 and then Nick Bjugstad banked a rebound off Montembeault’s back as the Habs trailed 2-1 after one period. 

3) The first was atrocious for the Habs. Montembeault was the only bright spot in the period. Matheson’s goal that kept the Habs close was an absolute beauty. Matheson activated when a Utah forward fumbled the puck. The Hab imitated Bobby Orr as he beat the forward to the puck before he was able to tip the puck by the defender and then tucked it five-hole to score. Lucky to be keeping it close in a period where they were outshot 14-3. 

4) The second period was an entirely different story as the Canadiens got three power plays. They were not able to capitalize on any of those opportunities. They controlled the puck and got offensive zone time, but a dynamic advantage suddenly found itself far too predictable in trying to find Laine for his one-timer. Easy to defend what is predictable. 

5) Montreal’s first goal of the period was scored right after the halfway mark of the game. Laine attacked the middle of the ice while carrying the puck in the offensive zone. This opened passing lanes as he opted to drop a puck to Carrier. Excellent offensive instincts by the blueliner who immediately sent the puck to Newhook and drove the net. This opened a back door return pass from Newhook to Laine who released a one-timer for his first even strength goal this season. 

6) The second goal with 1:26 to play was scored at four on four and must be credited to the shift that preceded it. Armia put on a masterclass in puck protection that created some chances but exhausted the Utah defenders. When Hutson got the puck, he was able to take advantage of the tired defenders to extend the play. He finally found a streaking Dach who cut to the center and then deked Karel Vejmelka for a highlight reel goal. A much better period as the Habs outshot Utah 12-6 in the period. 

7) Utah controlled the early moments of the third and tied the game three minutes into the frame. Keller was all over Guhle to get to a rebound and then the chaos was evident. As Keller skated to the front of the net, he attempted a blind pass that bounced off Guhle’s skate. The bad bounce caught Dvorak not covering what was clearly his assignment. Logan Cooley was all alone as he received the bounce and immediately scored.  

8) The game-breaker for the Habs went back to work as Hutson scored his third point on the night as he accepted a pass from Matheson and skated a few strides toward Vejmelka before seeing Caufield in front of the net with his stick on the ice. The shot-pass was absolutely perfect, and the redirect appeared effortless for Caufield as the Habs regained the lead with nearly thirteen minutes to play.

9) The rest of the period was action-packed as Montreal did not sit on the lead. Gallagher took a penalty and then Slafkovsky gave Utah another power play with a terrible offensive zone interference penalty. The Habs got the best chance as Evans picked off Mikhail Sergachev and ended up with a penalty shot that he missed. With 3:45 to play, Dach intercepted a neutral zone pass, skated in, and beat Vejmelka from far. It was a terrible goal for Vejmelka and was the final nail in the coffin. 

10) I’m using the tenth thought to highlight a fourth star in this game. Joel Armia has been one of the most consistent players for the Habs for the last twelve months. There has been much ink spewed over the signing or trading of Jake Evans, but Armia is the true driver of that line. His puck-possession game is huge for the bottom six. His next contract will be shorter and cheaper than Evans’. The Habs have some potential internal options to replace Evans in Owen Beck or Oliver Kapanen, but is there anyone in the system to replace Armia?

HabsWorld Habs 3 Stars

1st Star – Lane Hutson  

A published ranking today questioned Hutson’s compete level. Whatever one thinks of the ranking, the idea that Hutson’s compete level is a reason to lower him on a ranking is ridiculous. I would say Hutson used the bad-mouthing as motivation to get himself a three-point night, but frankly, he’s been at a point-per-game for 20 games now. Not sure the publication has much to do with it. As I mentioned earlier in the month, his play is becoming more professional, and he’s doing it while remaining an offensive catalyst. Every time I want to not include him in this section of the article, he goes out and simply doesn’t give me a choice. What a beauty. 

Stats: 3 assists, +3, 21:41 T.O.I. 

2nd Star – Mike Matheson 

When the coaching staff put Matheson with Hutson, this writer was not convinced that it was a wise decision. Both were prone to being risky players and I wasn’t sure the other could cover the riskiness of the other. The result has been the exact opposite as the pairing has caused both of them to tone down the riskiness to make room for the other which has created the absolute best version of both players. They are both high-IQ players too, so their reads off one another are excellent and allow the team to spend little time in their zone when they are on the ice. An excellent move by the coaching staff and an excellent game by Matheson on this night. 

Stats:1 goal, 1 assist, +1, 3 shots, 2 hits, 24:08 T.O.I. 

3rd Star – Samuel Montembeault 

Montembeault saved the burning house in the first period. What a disaster that period was but he kept them in it. Some will point to the second goal against, but I think it was a lucky goal for Utah and Montembeault made other strong saves at key times throughout the game, including the two power plays awarded in the third period when it was still a one-goal game. 

Stats: 22 saves, 25 shots, 3.00 G.A.A, .880 save %, 60:00 T.O.I.