Hidden Game: Jakub Dobes steals the show again in Canadiens' shootout win over Leafs
This edition of the Hidden Game is dedicated to — wait for it — the hidden game the Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs produced for 60 minutes Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena.
There were few scoring opportunities through regulation time, not many big hits and little intensity from these two great rivals, in our humble opinion.
Two weeks ago, when the teams met at the Bell Centre
, there was the exact opposite.
Toronto had only 10 shots through two periods, including three in the middle frame.
And to think people paid hundreds of dollars to witness this spectacle.
But it’s not how you start:
It’s how you finish, and isn’t three-on-three hockey in the overtime session simply marvellous? In that five minutes alone each team generated three shots.
was denied from the slot; William Nylander failed to convert a two-man breakaway, electing to shoot rather than pass to Auston Matthews; Morgan Reilly had an excellent chance, but couldn’t hit the net; Mike Matheson checked Scott Laughton, then came close to scoring himself at the other end.
Would he dare?:
On Friday, Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis indicated Jakub Dobes would start in net against the Leafs, but
“probably” would play Sunday, when Montreal hosts St. Louis. Of course, this was before the Canadiens’ 2-1 shootout victory and before Dobes stopped 22 shots for a .957 save percentage. Dobes has now won four of his last five starts. So, now what? Dobes is the hot goaltender. Dobes generally has provided the Canadiens with the best opportunity to win. And who decided a goalie couldn’t play on consecutive nights? But what message is St. Louis sending to Montembeault if he doesn’t face the Blues? Stay tuned.
History repeats itself:
Has anyone noticed how often a team struggles in its first game at home following an extended road trip? The Leafs just returned from a six-game (4-2) excursion.
Strange, but true:
Not only was Toronto on a three-game winning streak, it scored 16 goals over that span.
News you need (Part I):
The Canadiens ended an 11-game (0-9-2) losing streak in Toronto with the victory. Montreal’s last victory there occurred in February 2021, when the arena was empty because of COVID-19.
News you need (Part II):
Cole Caufield’s power-play goal in the second period extended his point streak to 10 games. Nick Suzuki’s seven-game point streak came to an end.
News you need (Part III):
With that second-period goal, the Canadiens now have been outscored 39-28 in the middle period — and are slowly making progress.
Our random thought of the night:
Is it just us, or were Toronto forward Bobby McMann and former Canadien Michael Pezzetta, now playing for the AHL Toronto Marlies, separated at birth?
Milestone:
This was Reilly’s 900th career game.
Like watching paint dry:
Reilly had the game’s first shot, at 3:53. Toronto had scored on its opening shot the last four games. The Canadiens didn’t generate a shot until 6:09, by Noah Dobson.
Hit of the game:
Arber Xhekaj’s gem on Dakota Joshua in the first period at centre ice.
Gimme room:
Matthew Knies came a little too close to Dobes in that period — and the netminder wasn’t shy expressing his thoughts.
Where goals go to die:
Zachary Bolduc
had a second-period breakaway, but was denied by the glove hand of Dennis Hildeby, a 6-foot-7 freak of nature. Bolduc has gone four games without scoring after producing two goals and three assists at Utah and Vegas.
Great moments in officiating:
That was a borderline call when Dobson was assessed a second-period tripping penalty on Nylander, who appeared to lose his footing. St. Louis wasn’t impressed with the decision.
Dumb penalty:
The Leafs squandered the final 49 seconds of that man-advantage after John Tavares interfered with Matheson.
Giveaway of the night:
Oliver Kapanen
lost the puck to Nicolas Roy, who then fed Laughton, who then beat Dobes with a low slapper to the glove side — and the first shorthanded goal the Canadiens have allowed this season.
News you need (Part IV):
That was Laughton’s first goal against Montreal in 24 career games.
That’s using your head:
Joshua’s point-blank shot went off Dobes’s mask in the third period.
Me and my shadow:
Jake Evans spent much of the night checking Matthews. Despite playing 22:52 — tops among Toronto forwards — Matthews was held to one shot. Perhaps he thinks the playoffs already have started?
Next time, decline the penalty:
The Leafs went 0-for-3 on the power play and have converted only two of their last 25 opportunities.
Quick stats:
Caufield, Matheson, Dobson, Slafkovsky and Josh Anderson all had four shots. Anderson had four hits — one more than Caufield. Alexandre Carrier blocked three shots. Matheson played 26:56, but Xhekaj played only 11:49. The Canadiens won only 41.9 per cent of their faceoffs and were outhit 28-21. Kapanen lost five of seven draws, while
lost six of 11. Suzuki was 9-for-25 in the faceoff circle. Evans won 54 per cent of his 13 faceoffs.
They said it:
“That how we need to play,” Dobes told reporters in Toronto. “Good details. Play mature hockey. Play good in the defensive and offensive zone. Don’t make stupid mistakes. Don’t take stupid penalties. If we play like that we’ll be successful going forward.
“Sometimes the hockey goes your way,” he added. “Sometimes it doesn’t. It goes day by day. Now, you’re good. Tomorrow, you might not be good. Short memory. Whatever happens happens.”
“The defensive part of our game tonight was the best I’ve seen it to be honest,” St. Louis told the media in Toronto. “We didn’t give them much. It’s up to the players to keep those standards. We know what we have in that department. Can we repeat that, knowing it’s hard to do?
“He competes in net,” he added about Dobes. “He’s very demanding of himself. He likes that stage — Saturday night in Toronto. I don’t think he gets intimidated by that.”
“He (Dobes) is a gamer and he expects a lot from himself and demands a lot from himself,” Caufield said in Toronto. “That’s just the competitor that he is. He has been doing that for us all year. He battled all night and kept us in it.”
