A few hours before the match, a journalist pointed out to Martin St-Louis that the two clubs which were going to face each other in the evening were defying the predictions.
The Canadian, rather than sweeping the cellar of the classification, left the first fortnight of the campaign with the hope of keeping close to a place in the playoffs. The New Jersey Devils have gone from “the team on the road to success” to one of the most dominant clubs in the NHL.
From the second period, Tuesday night, we understood that the comparisons would stop there. The Devils largely dominated the locals and left Montreal with a 5-1 victory.
After a hard-fought first period, which Jake Allen called “entertaining,” the Devils took matters into their own hands. On the one hand by imposing a tempo that the Habs, starting with its defenders, could not follow. And on the other hand by taking advantage of the largesse of an opponent who sold turnovers at wholesale prices.
The head coach of the Canadian conceded that the game had been “difficult for the defenders”. “For the whole team”, in fact.
St-Louis and Allen felt that the CH had undergone its most important “test” so far this season. “I wouldn’t say we failed it, but we didn’t score high enough to win the match,” summed up the pilot nicely.
“There’s a lesson in everything, there’s one in that game, that’s for sure. We’ll find her. »
We will remember from this duel that the locals were not up to it, but perhaps even more so that the Devils were superior to them. Allen, again: “They have a whole team. »
In fact, at a time when we reinvent the way of talking about reconstruction every day, the New Jerseyers (yes, yes) look a lot like the team that the Canadian aspires to become.
The Devils, like the CH, bet in attack on a very young nucleus, but theirs is much more experienced. Their three youngest forwards, Dawson Mercer, Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, are 21, 21 and 23 respectively. They still have 592 NHL games, despite the fact that the last two have missed a lot of action due to injuries.
In Montreal, the three cadets are called Juraj Slavkosvky (18 years old), Cole Caufield and Kirby Dach (21 years old each). Total experience: 269 matches. Even by adding up Suzuki’s 224 games, we arrive at 493. We are far from the mark.
In the visitors’ locker room, Hischier also explicitly mentioned “several guys who have been here for a few years”. It’s not anecdotal. And Tuesday night, it seemed.
“Not winning them all”
In defense, few comparisons hold water. In Dougie Hamilton, the Devils have a quarterback who flirts with the elite of the circuit. The CH does not have a quarterback at all. The arrival of John Marino completely changed the dynamic of the squad and brought balance to the three duos. Jonas Siegenthaler, Ryan Graves and Damon Severson have all reached their mid to late twenties. That too, it seems.
In the Montreal camp, it was indeed “difficult”. David Savard probably played his worst game of the season. Kaiden Guhle also struggled. The pair made up of Joel Edmundson and Arber Xhekaj did not touch the disc of the evening. Xhekaj, by the way, got his 10e minor penalty of the campaign, very close to an unenviable high in the NHL.
“You’re not going to win them all,” Edmundson said after the game. In each victory or defeat, you have to learn something different. Tomorrow is a new day. We have to move forward. »
Wise words, which will have to be kept in mind during the next meetings. Because if the strengths of the Canadian emerged during the recent series of three victories, its shortcomings could weigh heavily in a hypothetical series of defeats.
The right flank of the defense, for example, would badly need reinforcement. It will be interesting to see, when Mike Matheson returns to health over the next few weeks, if we transfer a left-handed veteran to help poor Savard.
The fourth line, too, will sooner or later come under scrutiny. With 15 attackers for 12 positions, the club’s management prided itself on its “depth” in this position. However, at equal forces, the unit piloted by Jake Evans produces nothing. It even cost a goal on Tuesday.
The Devils “play very similar to what we’re trying to do,” said Martin St-Louis. With a speed that cuts the opponent’s wings, a diversified attack and a devastating counter-attack.
However, like the outdoors, you still have to know how to do it. The Devils may not have Stanley Cup contender status yet, but they’re certainly ahead of the CH in their move and have given it one hell of a masterclass.
This is not the only lesson to be learned from this meeting. But it’s a good one.
Rising
Evgenii Dadonov
Finally a goal – even a point – at his 12e game of the season. Here are some meetings that he deserved.
Falling
Cole Caufield
We would have been spoiled for choice, but Caufield’s turnovers in the third period made the winger look very bad, as quiet offensively as his line partners in this meeting.
The number of the game
1
In a great collective effort, all Devils players got at least one shot on goal, except for one: center Michael McLeod.