Canadian 3 — Hurricanes 5 | A good half match

(Raleigh) What is a good match?

The question may seem disarmingly banal, but we will nevertheless allow ourselves to ask it, at the end of this 5-3 defeat of the Canadian at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes.

“Apart from the beginning, we played a good game,” said head coach Martin St-Louis at the end of the evening. “I think we played a very good game,” said Sean Monahan. We gave ourselves a chance to win. »

Now for the second part of the statement. By creating a 3-3 tie at the very start of the third period thanks to a goal from Josh Anderson, the Habs objectively reset the score. The same Anderson also joked, about his very rare breakaway success, that this puck “would not have returned a month ago”, that is to say at the time when he seemed damned by the hockey gods. A positive point here, fully deserved too.

The problem is that following this goal, the Habs’ last shot on target came from the stick of Michael Pezzetta with more than 17 minutes remaining in the game. In other words, the very shaky Antti Raanta no longer had to make the slightest save. And this, despite two consecutive numerical advantages.

Unsurprisingly, it was the locals who scored the next goal. And the visitors virtually deprived themselves of any chance of tying again by taking two penalties with less than four minutes to play – those of Joel Armia and Cole Caufield.

St-Louis specified, let us remember, that this “good match” of his men excepted the “beginning”. We don’t really know what time frame he was referring to, but we will still note that the Hurricanes led 1-0 after 95 seconds of play, and 2-0 after 12:40.

Mike Matheson pointed out that the Canes had already played the day before and that his team was taking the lead again. It was therefore necessary to remove rust from a machine already in operation. Very good.

However, it was the third game in a row that the Canadian fell behind 2-0. And the last time, it was against the Chicago Blackhawks, so not exactly against a power of the circuit.

” Character ”

We must give back to the CH what is due to the CH: it has made up for this delay. And he filled another one by making 3-3. The Hurricanes’ third goal also followed a Montreal defensive collapse, but we’ll talk about that another time.

Mike Matheson saw it as a sign of “character.” Josh Anderson praised the “commitment” of his teammates.

On these delays to be filled, again and again, Martin St-Louis simply indicated that it was “part of the league”. “We are not going to lead in every match. It’s a tough league, we play against good teams on the road. We will lose or win by one or two goals, and continue to play. That’s what we do. »

Still, it’s another defeat against a top club. Out of 15 CH victories this season, only 5, including 2 on the road, were against teams that would enter the playoffs if they started these days – Winnipeg twice, the New York Islanders, Boston and Washington.

Against the Hurricanes, Martin St-Louis’ men actually kept their heads above water for a good while. But did they play a “good game”? Not really. Half a match? It seems fairer.

It’s better than nothing, considering that since the start of the 2021-2022 season, the Ouragans are perfect against the Montrealers: 7-0-0 after Thursday’s meeting. And that the last duel between the two adversaries ended in a shelling of the Carolinians, who had dominated 50-14 in terms of shots.

“Before, we gave this team 50 shots, so that’s positive,” concluded Martin St-Louis. We could have made sure that more pucks went to the net, but we had good intentions. »

It’s better than nothing, we said. But in terms of real progress, it’s a little thin.

Rising: Brendan Gallagher

As part of his team’s best trio, he bothered the local defense all evening. He also scored three shots.

The number of the match: 500

By obtaining an assist on Mike Matheson’s goal, Sean Monahan scored the 500^e point in his career. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t have the heart to celebrate after his family’s defeat…

In details

Slafkovsky stunned

Victim of a severe check from Stefan Noesen at the end of the third period, Juraj Slafkovsky scared everyone by remaining on the ground for a few moments. He then returned to the bench, before returning to the locker room. It appears that it was the NHL representatives responsible for observing the risks of concussion who removed him from the game. The organization later indicated that the forward was fine and would have had the green light to return to the ice if the game had continued. Despite the force of the impact, Noesen did not appear to aim for the head and he was not punished. Josh Anderson, however, felt that the referees could have taken a look at the sequence to be clear. “I think when a guy is lying on the ice, it deserves a review,” he said. They don’t necessarily have to impose any punishment, but at least check if there was a blow to the head. But that’s just my opinion. »

Vulnerable Raanta

It’s not every day that you face the worst goalie in the NHL. That day had nevertheless arrived for the Habs. In front of the Hurricanes net, Antti Raanta started the game with a historically bad save percentage of .854. Freshly recalled from the American League, the 34-year-old veteran certainly did not appear as a man in full possession of his art. Often clumsy or caught out of position, he made every save feel like an adventure. Out of pity or enthusiasm, however, the crowd was sympathetic to his cause, applauding every time the puck touched him. He was at his best in the second period: it was then the first time that he went through a complete engagement without giving in, after an ugly streak of 11 periods in a row with at least one goal allowed. He finally signed his first victory since November 22.

Ylönen like the wind

Having the habit of disguising himself as a current of air, it was rather by skating like the wind that Jesse Ylönen stood out for his team’s first goal. A missed pass from Mitchell Stephens to Michael Pezzetta, leaving the area, seemed destined to become a disallowed clearance. However, Ylönen shifted into second gear and passed defender Brady Skjei to recover the disc deep in the Hurricanes territory and return it towards the blue line to Jayden Struble. The latter shot directly at Pezzetta, stationed in front of the net, and Stephens recovered the loose puck to reduce the gap to 2-1. Nothing elegant, but also nothing that would have been possible without the commendable effort of Ylönen, who unfortunately did not get a point on this one.