It was a close call for the Canadiens players to go on vacation with a smile on their faces. But whether they end up in Mexico, the Dominican Republic or Plattsburgh, they’re likely to start them off with a bit of bitterness.
• Read also: Sean Monahan file: the latest information
• Read also: TO SEE | Crosby has eyes in the back of his head
• Read also: TO SEE | Slafkovsky continues his progress
The Habs, who led 2 to 1 against the Penguins at the start of the third period, finally lost 3 to 2 in overtime. Even though he seems to have gotten into the habit of blowing leads, the Canadian only suffered a second setback when he took the lead after 40 minutes (12-0-2).
Photo AFP
Martin St-Louis’ troops were probably disappointed when they returned to the visitors’ locker room at PPG Paints Arena. However, they can console themselves by saying that it took an incredible play from Sidney Crosby to set up the tying goal scored by Jake Guentzel.
The Penguins captain made a pass with his back turned even though he had Kaiden Guhle in his pants. The latter demonstrated that he was able to take care of the big names on the Bettman circuit. The Albertan was faced with number 87 for the majority of the 25 mins 45 s he spent on the playing surface.
As if that tenure wasn’t enough, the 22-year-old fullback was the one who opened the scoring. On the streak, Cole Caufield collected a point in a ninth consecutive game.
To return to Guhle, this other admirable outfit against a fast and cunning attacker demonstrates all the athletic and intellectual qualities of the young man. His skating and reading of the game are on another level. With him in his training, the Canadian will be the envy of many for several seasons.
Departures to be expected
Taking advantage of a few days off which will take it until the All-Star weekend, the Montreal team will not play its next match until February 6, in Washington. The face of the team might look a little different when he returns.
We are aware that Kent Hughes is trying to trade Jake Allen to another team. His presence in front of the net, after Samuel Montembeault’s exceptional evening on Thursday, can only be explained by the desire of the general manager of the Habs to place his goalkeeper in the window.
It’s unclear whether any of Hughes’ counterparts will be wooed, but Allen has given his general manager some ammunition. He did well by stopping 30 shots and was not to blame for any of the home team’s goals.
Sean Monahan is another who risks a change of scenery. During the evening, Sportsnet colleague Elliotte Friedman revealed that the New York Rangers, struggling with injuries at center, could be tempted to acquire him. That remains to be seen since Hughes could very well have the luxury of upping the stakes.
The 29-year-old center has been offering solid hockey since the start of the season.
This was once again the case in Pittsburgh. Monahan was at the heart of several threatening breakthroughs near Tristan Jarry. He himself got five shots on goal in addition to offering Juraj Slafkovsky (also author of five shots) great opportunities to hit the target.
He also succeeded in the massive attack.
We repeat ourselves about the Slovak, but he gains confidence with each match he plays. His coach also trusts him more and more. On Saturday, St-Louis even used it in overtime. And he came very close to giving his team victory by overtaking Kristopher Letang.
- Brendan Gallagher was serving the first of a five-game suspension. On the other side, Lars Eller celebrated the 1000th match of his career by scoring his ninth goal of the season.