How many times, at the start of the season, has the Canadian’s numerical advantage been a snubber? How many times, in November, did we say to ourselves that this team would have done better to decline a punishment from the opponent if it had had the opportunity?
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The tide has undoubtedly turned in this department. The Anaheim Ducks paid the price on Tuesday night. Taking advantage of a dreadful outing from the visitors, the Habs scored twice with a man advantage en route to a 5-0 victory.
It has not often happened, in 2023-2024, that Montrealers are the best team on the ice from one end of a game to the other. Has this even happened yet? However, against the Ducks, this was indeed the case.
The CH numerical advantage took no time to get to work. From the 18e second of the match, Mason McTavish went to the cell, where several of his teammates will follow one another during the evening. For two long minutes, Mike Matheson, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky and Alex Newhook reigned like kings on Californian territory.
In this sense, they continued the work started during the weekend: despite two defeats against the Dallas Stars and the St. Louis Blues, the CH numerical advantage played with authority. Against the Ducks, the valves opened. Slafkovsky and Suzuki both scored, each time with help from the other.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Juraj Slafkovsky in front of goalkeeper Lukas Dostal
The Slovak’s irresistible progress and his new passion for shooting now force opponents to divide their attention among the entire unit, and no longer on Caufield who is waiting for the puck. As for Newhook, he is reaping the fruits of the work of Sean Monahan, who stabilized the five-man attack before being traded. These five, suddenly, form a mobile, creative and unpredictable whole.
What we also noticed is that the numerical advantage has become a place of experimentation from which a high quality trio has emerged.
Since the beginning of February, since the Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky unit was reunited after being temporarily separated, the first trio has become what it was supposed to become: the offensive engine of this team.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Cole Caufield
At five-on-five, his main leading indicators – puck possession, share of shots on target, goals scored and expected goals – are significantly improved compared to his first life, in December and January. The chemistry, obviously, is growing. But it didn’t fall from the sky.
Keys
“One thing that helps their five-on-five game is our numerical advantage,” said Martin St-Louis late Tuesday evening. They have a lot of keys [de rondelle] in the space. It gave them a lot of confidence. […] They are very balanced on the ice; they read the space between them and the space that the opponent gives them. They understand the rules of the game more and more and it shows on the ice. »
The three gifted youngsters, in fact, have seen their overall offensive and five-on-five production increase since the power play came to life.
At five against four, the Canadian reached rock bottom on December 16. At that point, he was only converting 16.7% of his chances. Since then, he has had a success rate of 25%, as of 9e NHL rank in the meantime.
At five-on-five and on the power play, Suzuki, Caufield and Slafkovsky all saw their offensive pace pick up after December 16.
If we were looking for confirmation that this explains this, we can probably stop our investigation.
At five against four, “we learn how to beat different defensive schemes,” said Martin St-Louis. When the team matures, the effect will be even greater. “Across the league, the best teams are very good on the power play. We are moving towards that,” he added.
This is true on the scale of the season, but also on the scale of a match like Tuesday’s. Even if the Canadian did not score on his first opportunity with a man advantage, he imposed his rhythm. After seeing this team fall behind so often early in the game, this reversal of the usual relationship of dominance was something refreshing.
“It’s not a surprise,” Slafkovsky noted. When you have the puck for two minutes on the power play and you have good touches, it has an impact on the rest. »
How long will the experiment be successful? Who knows. There have been many mirages over the past three seasons. And given the Ducks’ mediocrity on Tuesday, just about any team would have looked like the Harlem Globetrotters.
However, there is something going on with these three young forwards that give the impression of being a real NHL offensive trio. At the end of the calendar, and even after, we will perhaps look back on this achievement as the most important of the season.
Rising
Jayden Struble
Patient and meticulous defensively, he bounced back from his difficult performance on Sunday. It was also he who launched Juraj Slafkovsky on the counter-attack on the Canadian’s second goal.
Falling
Anaheim Ducks
All the Ducks skaters were worse than all the Habs skaters. The worst performance by a CH opponent this season.
The number of the match
2
This is only the second time this season that the Canadian has allowed less than two goals in a game. The only occurrence until then dates back to October 23, in a 3-1 victory in Buffalo.
In details
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Brandon Gignac
Gignac’s first…
Brandon Gignac’s press scrum was drawing to a close when a stentorian voice was heard. It was Michel Lacroix, perhaps the only human on Earth with a voice as deep as Alan Roach’s. “In any case, it was fun to announce! » Lacroix stopped by to congratulate Gignac, who had scored his first goal in the NHL 30 minutes earlier, at age 26. The announcement of Gignac’s goal was practically buried by the spectators, who screamed to highlight the perseverance of the quick Canadian attacker. It must be said that the match production team helped in this sense by showing Gignac on the giant screen during the announcement of the goal, even if the action had resumed. “I had a lot of thrills on the bench, especially at the Bell Centre, with one more victory. It was another magical moment,” noted the hero of the day. Arber Xhekaj started the game by delivering a check to Frank Vatrano in the neutral zone. Kaiden Guhle recovered the puck before joining Gignac. “Guhle could have escaped, but he was super generous with me. I could have passed him to the other side, but there was a stick in his legs, so I thought I’ll try it! » Including the 14 goalies who scored, Gignac is the 6,010th player in history to score in an NHL season.
…and Primeau
The Canadiens players seemed even more happy than Gignac himself with the goal, starting with Juraj Slafkovsky, who shuffled his teammate on the bench as if he were a rag doll. “I think I have a little concussion!” », joked Gignac. Count Cayden Primeau among those who were happy. “He worked so hard, he’s a good guy. We have been together in Laval for several years. To see that he is being rewarded, I feel good too. » Primeau himself had reason to celebrate: he became the 484th goaltender in history to post a shutout in the NHL. Except that against the Ducks who looked like they were fighting a 12-hour time difference, the goalie only received 13 shots. But it was also because his teammates spread the word. “One of our goals as the match went on was to play for Preems,” Nick Suzuki revealed. The captain himself set an example by standing in front of a Vatrano shot in the third period. “Nick is one of the best players on the team. He could have very easily gotten out of the way, but he stayed there and blocked the shot,” noted Primeau.
Savard in the shadows
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
David Savard
Another one who struggled was David Savard. We’re starting to get used to it. Traditional statistics are rarely flattering for this defender accustomed to defensive missions, little inclined towards attack and who, in addition, often plays the role of a welcoming committee for young defenders. But this time, the Maskoutain was rewarded, finishing the match with a differential of +2. He was also directly involved in the two goals in question, without obtaining a point. Both times, the Ducks threatened in the opposing zone, and his work in the slot helped stifle the threat, before his teammates restarted the attack, leading to Montreal’s first two goals.
Guillaume Lefrançois, The Press