Hidden Game: Samuel Montembeault shines in Canadiens' convincing win over Vegas
This edition of the Hidden Game is dedicated to Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis.
Sure, he has the Canadiens back on the winning track. Montreal’s convincing 4-1 victory Friday afternoon over the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena was its third straight.
But here’s something more important. It was 11 years ago, on Nov. 28, 2014, while playing for the New York Rangers, that St. Louis recorded the 1,000th point of his NHL career in a 3-0 win at Philadelphia. At 39 years, 163 days, St. Louis became the third-oldest player at that time to hit the 1,000 point mark — behind Ray Whitney (39 years, 328 days) and Nicklas Lidstrom (39 years, 170 days).
The Canadiens didn’t require St. Louis’s offence on Friday. Even though he’s now 50, we figure he’d still be good for at least a shift or two. And doesn’t
Montreal’s recent five-game skid
(0-4-1) now seem like a distant memory?
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas:
We understand the Canadiens’ rookie dinner took place Thursday night. At least the team has six freshman to split the bill. And nobody was late for the game.
We love afternoon games:
Not only that, but this one was played in a cool 2:27. They should all go this quickly.
All hail Monty:
Samuel Montembeault
stopped the first shot he faced by Colton Sissons, only 10 seconds into the game. He also stopped the next 26 before his shutout attempt was thwarted by captain Mark Stone at 15:16 of the third period. Canadiens goaltenders have yet to produce a shutout this season, but that seems like only a matter of time. Montembeault recorded his first win since Nov. 8, against Utah. He also won for the first time on the road — and only the second time this season — since Oct. 11, at Chicago. Don’t be surprised if he gets the start Tuesday night at home against Ottawa. Montembeault already has defeated the Senators this season.
Strange, but true (Part I):
The Canadiens are now 7-2-2 on the road, but a mediocre 6-5-1 at the Bell Centre. Must be that Montreal traffic, attempting to get to the rink. We know the feeling.
News you need:
Stone, who returned to the lineup Wednesday after missing considerable time with a wrist injury — he does seem to be frequently injured — has at least one point in every game this season. He now has four goals and 15 points in only eight games. Not bad for a 33-year-old.
Sieve of the night:
Vegas goalie Akira Schmid had a 2.47 average and .900 save percentage before facing the Canadiens. He allowed goals on the third and seventh shots he faced. He only had 18 shots and ended the affair with a .833 save percentage. The team misses Adin Hill, out since Oct. 20 with a lower-body injury.
Pass of the game:
Juraj Slafkovsky to
on Montreal’s opening goal. Slafkovsky was along the boards, his cross-ice pass eluding four Vegas players to an unguarded Bolduc.
Strange, but true (Part II):
Bolduc has six goals this season — all scored on the road. Must be that Montreal traffic, attempting to get to the rink. We know the feeling.
Where goals go to die:
Rookie
has seven goals this season, so has certainly contributed. He should have added to that total late in the first period. He was alone in the slot, but couldn’t convert a pass from Ivan Demidov. Moments later, he had a breakaway from centre ice, but couldn’t beat Schmid to the glove side.
A goal-scorer’s goal:
Only Cole Caufield, who produced Montreal’s second goal early in the middle period, could beat a netminder from a sharp angle, nearly on the end-line, with a shot over Schmid’s right shoulder.
On the other hand:
Caufield, who has been getting his share of breakaways lately, hit the crossbar when he was in alone in the 15th minute of the period.
Happy birthday:
Vegas defenceman Zach Whitecloud, 29 on Friday, was bleeding profusely from his mouth — and undoubtedly minus some teeth — after taking a Demidov shot to the face in the second period. It brought a new meaning to the phrase “that’s using your head.”
Guess he learned from his mistake:
Late in the second period, Jake Evans was denied on a breakaway. But fewer than four minutes into the third, he scored on a breakaway.
How not to backcheck:
Both
and Noah Dobson were in the corner on Stone’s goal. Compounding the issue? Nobody picked Stone up in front of the net. Evans, Josh Anderson and
, playing his first game for the Canadiens, must have been in la-la land.
Stick to playing forward:
Mitch Marner looked hopelessly lost as the last line of defence on Slafkovsky’s empty-net goal.
How not to take, and win, a faceoff:
The Canadiens won only 40.7 per cent. While
was 9-14 (64 per cent), Joe Veleno was 4-10 (40 per cent); Evans 5-13 (38 per cent) and Kapanen 4-12 (33 per cent).
Quick stats:
Both Evans and Bolduc had three shots. Veleno had five hits. Lane Hutson played 25:13 — 12 seconds more than Dobson, who also blocked six shots. Texier played 13:41, had one shot and one hit. Defenceman Arber Xhekaj, back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch last game, played only 11:15 and had one hit. His brother, Florian, played 11:02 and had no hits. Montembeault’s save percentage was .968. He faced 31 shots. Jack Eichel and Tomas Hertl each had seven shots for Vegas.
