The quick turnaround, a different time zone, the loss of Chiarot, and poor execution. All of these factors could be used to explain why the Habs were completely flat in Thursday’s game versus Calgary where they lost 2-1 and didn’t even get their shot count to 20.
The Habs and Jets exchanged momentum, chances, goals, big hits, dirty plays, and words between whistles all night long. But in the end, Winnipeg once again prevailed in overtime, winning 4-3 on Thursday night.
In a game where the Habs looked way more like their early-season selves than their recent selves, it was an old habit of being afraid of offence in the overtime that ultimately finished the night as they fell 2-1 to Winnipeg on Saturday.
Remember when the Habs outplayed the Leafs for most of an opening night loss? Karma happened on Saturday as the Leafs dominated the entire first half of the game but Carey Price kept his team in the game for that long. The Habs woke up in the second half of the game and snuck away with a 2-1 win over the top team in the division.
There weren’t many positives to take from Thursday’s game as the Habs dropped yet another home game, this time a 3-0 decision to the Edmonton Oilers. Jake Allen kept the team in the game longer than they deserved to be in it.
In a game that brought back memories of the 19-20 Canadiens, the Habs did not skate, did not forecheck, and did not execute with the puck. The result was a 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night, a score that made the same seem closer than it really was.
In Captain Shea Weber’s 1,000th career NHL game, Vancouver presented a much stiffer challenge on Tuesday night. The Habs battled through a desperate opponent and prevailed 5-3 in what was a highly entertaining contest.
Monday’s game against Vancouver was all Habs from the drop of the puck. Nick Suzuki scored a minute in while Artturi Lehkonen scored shorthanded and the Canucks looked like a shell of themselves from last week as the Habs cruised to an easy 6-2 win.
After being dominated in the first period, the Habs spent the rest of Saturday night shooting into the shin pads of Flames’ blockers while running into a wall in Jacob Markstrom when they were able to get to the net and they lost 2-0 as a result.
Thursday’s rematch against Vancouver was quite entertaining for the first 25 minutes, and then the Habs took over in a big way. They were led by the Jesperi Kotkaniemi line for the second night in a row as Tyler Toffoli has looked like a 50-goal scorer so far in Vancouver; he picked up two more goals in a 7-3 win.