Montreal’s first game back after a one-week hiatus was played with much pace and emotion against the red-hot Bruins. Even though they lost 4-3 in overtime, this was a very entertaining game though many will be concerned for the health and wellness of Phillip Danault after he took a scary looking shot to the head near the end of the second period.
In a much less exciting game if compared to Thursday’s win, the Habs still controlled much of the game versus the Canucks on Sunday, picking up an important 5-2 win.
In what can only be described as their best effort of the season so far, the Canadiens needed an action-packed overtime as well as the shootout to come out on top on the league-leading Lightning 2-1 in a shootout.
The Habs were hoping to kick off 2018 on a high note but their offensive woes continued as they dropped a 4-1 decision to San Jose on Tuesday night.
In a perfect underlining of what ails the Montreal Canadiens, the final game of 2017 was a 2-0 shutout loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday night.
Saturday’s Jekyll to Friday’s Hyde is a perfect example of why Montreal currently sits seven points out of the playoffs following a 4-1 loss at the hands of the Oilers. Luckily for the Habs, Antti Niemi kept the score respectable.
Montreal put together an excellent effort on Friday night and was rewarded with two points in the standings. Everyone chipped in and helped out, but the fourth line was once again the productive unit as they continue to put up important points on the board.
One of the main problems this season has been Montreal’s inability to stop opposition momentum as they allow consecutive goals which makes it near impossible to come back in games. Should the players, coaching, or management be held accountable?
Not only was Thursday’s game limited in scoring, it was also limited in terms of good offensive chances; this was a chess match of sorts. The end result was unsurprisingly close with the Habs taking it 2-1 in overtime.
Montreal was outplayed for the entire 60 minutes on Saturday night, losing 6-2 at the hands of the Oilers. They’ll have plenty of work and thinking to do over the four-day break that is now awarded to them.