10 Thoughts: Special teams cost dearly as Habs fall 4-1 to the Leafs
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Montreal’s early-season rut continued on Saturday as a rough second period on the special teams front proved to be the difference with Toronto picking up a 4-1 victory.
Montreal’s early-season rut continued on Saturday as a rough second period on the special teams front proved to be the difference with Toronto picking up a 4-1 victory.
The Habs were back in action on Thursday in New Jersey, looking to end their losing streak in the process. They kept it close against a top team in the East but came up short again, falling 5-3.
With his ice time being largely limited to the fourth line, it felt like Oliver Kapanen’s situation might be coming to a head soon. That was indeed the case on Wednesday as he was returned to the SHL. This was the right call for the organization to make.
Montreal took the lead early in the third period on Tuesday against Calgary but they weren’t able to hold on. Matt Coronato tied it up late and then added the winner just seconds into overtime to give the Flames the 3-2 win.
After looking like they had turned things around with a set of back-to-back wins last weekend, the Habs reverted back to their struggling ways, falling in all three games, two of which saw even more struggles at the defensive end.
Montreal was able to muster up a better effort on Saturday than they had the previous two games, particularly in the defensive zone. However, they were only able to manage a single goal, resulting in them falling 3-1 to the Penguins.
October was a month that featured some highs and lows for the Habs. They picked up some impressive victories but also got run out of the rink multiple times with not a lot in between. Despite the inconsistency, who were their top performers? Make your picks for our monthly three stars.
After an ugly result on Tuesday, the Habs looked to end October on a high note as they were in Washington to take on the Capitals. However, they allowed three goals in the second and third periods, falling 6-3.
After sweeping a pair of games the previous week against Syracuse, Laval had another back-to-back against a division rival last week with Utica being the opponent. Once again, they took care of business with a pair of regulation wins.
After sweeping the weekend, the Habs looked to make it three straight wins as they hosted Seattle on Tuesday. It didn’t happen. Instead, they were down early and never recovered, falling 8-2.