HabsWorld.net -- 

Montreal and Winnipeg clashed on Sunday night in the Heritage Classic outdoor game in Manitoba. Montreal most recently won on Friday in their first NHL game without Captain Nick Suzuki since 2019, and Winnipeg has been in the news of the league since May, when Hart and Vezina-winning goaltender Connor Hellebuyck requested a trade. The gold-medalist was finally moved to New Jersey in a mega-deal that involved six pieces coming back the Jets’ way. One of those pieces, Dawson Mercer, was dressed for the game. The saga over, and Montreal desperate to keep pace in the Atlantic, both squads knew the novelty game was far more important than just a celebration of hockey.

The Canadiens dominated the flow of the game at five-on-five, and any time the Connor-Scheifele-Perfetti line was not skating. Despite four power plays, Montreal limited the Jets to just four high-danger chances against and rolled them on the penalty kill. The Canadiens’ structure seems to become more and more ingrained each game, an encouraging trend that is now translating into wins. Sunday’s game is a data point on that trend, determined by the team and their individual effort each shift. The most important player in the win, however, despite the controlled effort and positionless hockey, was Jacob Fowler.

Habs Lineup

Cole Caufield — Oliver Kapanen — Juraj Slafkovsky
Chris Kreider – Alex Newhook — Josh Anderson
Zachary Bolduc – Phillip Danault – Alexandre Texier
Kirby Dach – Jake Evans – Florian Xhekaj

Kaiden Guhle – Mike Matheson
Lane Hutson — Noah Dobson
Arber Xhekaj – Alexandre Carrier

Jacob Fowler

Game Points

– Montreal and Winnipeg traded possession and perimeter chances through the first few minutes of Sunday’s outdoor contest. Jacob Fowler made his first save of the game when Mark Scheifele came scorching down the wing with a shot and nearly put the rebound onto Kyle Connor’s stick. The puck bounced over Connor’s stick, but he had had an open net to fire at. The Jets’ top line successfully pinned Montreal in their zone whenever on the ice, and Montreal struggled to shut Connor, Cole Perfetti, and Scheifele down below the goal line.

– Arber Xhekaj and Zach Bolduc were stymied on Montreal’s best chance of the first ten minutes by a great blocker save from Stuart Skinner. After a won faceoff, Arber took the puck down the wall and then drove the next, pivoting and putting it into the goalie. The puck bounced out, and Bolduc was able to get a shot at the net but Skinner beat the puck past the twine.

– Both teams turned the puck over and skated the length of the ice throughout the first period as they felt each other out and made to penetrate the other’s structure. The game’s first penalty was an interference call on Alexandre Carrier as he prevented Viggo Bjorck from chasing down his dumped-in puck. Carrier held his stick horizontally as he skated backwards and played the body, but apparently the referee determined his intervention warranted an infraction. Fowler was stellar on the penalty kill, and Alex Newhook barely missed the net on his shorthanded breakaway. Montreal’s rookie goaltender had excellent positioning and tracking of the puck, beating the passes to be in place for any tap-in attempts. With less than a minute left in the period, he stuck the paddle out and cut down a pass for a sure goal by Scheifele to Perfetti.

– Juraj Slafkovsky made an excellent defensive play to knock the puck away from the attacking Jets early in the second period and fed Cole Caufield for a clear breakaway, but Montreal’s premier scorer missed the net opposite of where Newhook had. The Canadiens would be the first to strike nearly eight minutes into the middle frame off the sticks of Noah Dobson and Lane Hutson. Montreal was controlling possession in Winnipeg’s zone for enough time for the Jets skaters to begin to tire, then a fresh Caufield hopped on the ice and circled the zone. He took a drop pass from Jake Evans – who had expertly relieved pressure and kept the zone near the blueline – then passed to Dobson at the hashmarks. Hutson had switched with Cole up high and then skated right into the freshly vacated ice opposite of Dobson. His partner laid a perfect pass across the slot for Hutson’s tap-in.

– Halfway through the Heritage Classic, Montreal was ahead with the only goal of the game, a fact changed moments later. A point shot by Kaiden Guhle snuck through the crowd of bodies and then through Skinner, facilitated by ethical forechecking by three concurrent lines. Caufield and Slafkovsky were credited with assists, but an original clear by Hutson and pursuit by Alexandre Texier helped get them to that point.

– Newhook committed Montreal’s next minor when he got his stick into Isak Rosen’s face. Rosen was crossing through the crease, and Newhook’s waist-high stick rode up when they collided. Fowler was perfect again on the penalty kill, swallowing pucks whenever his defenders did not block the shot first. Montreal kept Winnipeg’s attack to the outside corners or to the goal line, holding a tight diamond formation while attacking the blueline. Lalonde’s structure at work again, no doubt.  The Canadiens held onto the lead for the remainder of the period, and went to the dressing room with another two-goal lead. They closed the door in Chicago, and fans can be certain those memories mingled with Tuesday’s in the mind of the Habs as they hit the ice for the final frame.

– Phillip Danault started the third between Caufield and Slafkovsky, replacing Oliver Kapanen as he did at times in Chicago. The two centres continued to flip lines seemingly depending on the situation of the faceoff, and Montreal’s forwards continued to roll through the opening stages of the third period. Kirby Dach had an excellent wraparound chance; however, Newhook would be sent to the box again for a stick penalty. While pressuring  Adam Lowry in his own corner, the Jets’ captain stepped on Newhook’s stick and was therefore “tripped”. Fowler was the reason Montreal maintained its two-goal lead, with spectacular stops on Scheifele and Connor once more. Evans nearly fed Danault for a shorthanded goal earlier in the shift, so Fowler’s sliding save was especially notable. He did not flail his arm out or need to splay his legs, he simply read the play perfectly as the pass went through the slot and was in place to make a great blocker save on the one-timer.

– Following the successful kill, Montreal continued to resist Winnipeg’s rushes and keep possession out of their own zone as much as possible. The best chance of the first twelve minutes for both teams came off the stick of Kapanen, whose tap-in attempt was stopped by Skinner on the doorstep. Moments later, as the Jets’ top line stayed on the ice through two liens of the Habs forwards, Scheifele’s best shot and chance was caught by Fowler from ten feet. A flash of the glove, and another whistle in the Habs favour.

– Winnipeg would get themselves on the board with just under five left in regulation, the results of a persistent shift and a failure from the Canadiens’ top line to clear the puck. Caufield pressured Haydn Fleury at the blueline but skated past him without getting the puck, and the defenceman took the initiative to skate downhill and spy Rosen inside the far circle. A great pass right into Rosen’s wheelhouse gave him the inertia to power a one-timer short-side on Fowler and break the shutout.

–The play turned frantic following Winnipeg’s goal, and Montreal scrambled to match the push of the home team. Anderson tripped Scheifele as the centreman made a move to get around him, Montreal’s winger clearly reaching but frustrated at how easily Scheifele fell. With the rest of regulation shorthanded, Montreal fans held their breath as they watched whether another two-goal lead would evaporate. Thanks to seismic efforts from Danault, Fowler, Evans and Matheson, the Canadiens would hold the house and push Winnipeg to the outside. earning two clears and the two points on the road.

HabsWorld Habs 3 Stars

1st Star – Jacob Fowler

Fowler started in the AHL this season due to no fault in his play, but because of contractual and numerical roster constraints. Since Montembeault’s injury and his subsequent call-up, Fowler has shown that he is nothing less than an NHL-ready netminder. Sunday was no exception as he stood tall all night and in most every situation while appearing completely collected. The one goal scored against is one that perhaps normally gets saved, but a great shot can break through and he had already been peppered throughout the third period.

Stats: 33 SV; 1 GA; .971 SV%

2nd Star – Lane Hutson

The best players show up in the biggest moments, and Hutson has never been one to shy away from pivotal battles. The franchise defenceman did not do too much but held his zone as decisively as he created offence, meeting the best players the Jets had toe to toe and shutting them out.

Stats: 1 goal; +1; 1 shot; 3 blocks; 21:12 T.O.I

3rd Star – Kaiden Guhle

Rewarded with a goal for his honest play, Guhle was instrumental in eliminating Winnipeg’s second- and third-order chances and crushing attacks on the rush. His defensive acumen seems to grow each season, and his role on the blue line is pivotal to the success of Montreal’s game plan in their own zone.

Stats: 1 goal; 1 shot; 3 blocks; 3 hits; 23:10 T.O.I