Hidden Game: Montembeault lets in five against road-weary Senators
This edition of the Hidden Game is dedicated to Patrick Roy and Mario Tremblay.
It was 30 years ago on Tuesday that former Canadiens goaltender
Roy played his final game for Montreal
, allowed to hang out to dry — and embarrassed in the process — by Tremblay, who was the head coach at the time but clearly in over his head and unqualified for the position.
Roy allowed nine Detroit goals during an 11-1 loss before being removed by Tremblay at the Forum. Roy told Ronald Corey, team president at the time and seated directly behind the bench, he had played his last game for the Canadiens. Four days later,
Roy was part of a multi-player trade to Colorado
.
Where are we going with all this — other than the obvious history lesson?
, brilliant last Friday at Las Vegas, failed to produce a second consecutive stellar effort against the Ottawa Senators. He was beaten on the second, ninth, 16th, 18th and 27th shots he faced, arguably weak on three of the goals. His save percentage was .828. He wasn’t made available to the media post-game.
Meanwhile, has it really been 30 years? Where has the time gone?
Random thought of the night:
These are the games teams with playoff aspirations must win. The Canadiens had won three of their last four while the visitors, concluding a seven-game road trip, had lost three of four and were coming off a 6-1 defeat at Dallas — a game in which they generated only 16 shots.
But the news isn’t all bad:
Tuesday’s match began a sequence that will see the Canadiens play eight of their next 11 at home.
But maybe it is:
Montreal now has a mediocre 6-6-1 record at the Bell Centre.
News you need (Part I):
Ottawa won for the first time since captain Brady Tkachuk recovered from a broken thumb, sustained Oct. 13. He didn’t return until Nov. 28.
News you need (Part II):
Drake Batherson, who scored the Senators’ fourth goal, became the fourth player in franchise history to have a four-game goal streak against the Canadiens.
News you need (Part III):
Cole Caufield had two assists for the Canadiens, increasing his point streak to eight games. Captain
, with a goal and assist, now has a six-game point streak.
Strange, but true:
While
has six goals and 12 points in 25 games, only one of those points has come at home. He has the same amount of points at the Bell Centre as Kaiden Guhle and Patrik Laine, who haven’t played since Oct. 16 due to injuries. In the game’s fourth minute, while Montreal was on the power play, Bolduc had an open net but failed to convert.
Pass of the night:
Caufield to
on the Canadiens’ opening goal, moments after Bolduc was denied. Slafkovsky was on the lip of the crease and merely had to touch the puck.
We get you’re tired, but …:
Ridley Greig missed an attempted check on Brendan Gallagher in the first period — and ended up on the Canadiens’ bench.
News you need (Part IV):
After Slafkovsky opened the scoring at 3:37, the Canadiens didn’t generate another shot until 5:15 remained in the opening period.
Thanks for showing up:
Senators forward Kurtis MacDermid, an impressive 6-foot-5 and 233 pounds, had 82 seconds of ice time in the first period.
Great moments in officiating (Part I):
Tkachuk and Jayden Struble jostled in front of the Ottawa bench in the second period. Struble ended up without a stick — snatched by Tkachuk. No penalty was assessed.
Great moments in officiating (Part II):
In the third period, Nick Jensen pulled down Gallagher. No penalty was assessed. So Gallagher retaliated and a delayed penalty was called. The point became moot when Tkachuk scored before play was stopped.
Strong like bull:
Early in the second period, MacDermid took a run at
, only to bounce off the Canadiens defenceman, who then promptly delivered a cross-check. No penalty was assessed.
News you need (Part V):
The Canadiens now have been outscored 38-25 in the second period.
Where goals go to die:
Defenceman Alexandre Carrier, with one goal this season, was set up by Caufield in the third period. Carrier was in alone, tried deking goalie Linus Ullmark — and promptly lost the puck.
Does this look like a desperate team?:
The Canadiens, who entered the third period trailing 4-2, generated three shots through 11 minutes. We had the sense, had Montreal scored a third goal at that time, it would have come back and won.
It’s a crowded leaderboard:
Jake Evans, Struble and Lane Hutson all were minus-3.
Quick stats:
Oliver Kapanen had four shots. Suzuki had three shots and was physical, delivering three hits. Arber Xhekaj had four hits, as did Joe Veleno. Florian Xhekaj played only 7:43 but had three hits. The Canadiens enjoyed a 33-21 advantage in hits, but won only 47.1 per cent of their faceoffs.
They said it:
“I thought we started pretty good,” Suzuki said. “It kind of slipped away from us at the end of the first period. We dug ourselves a hole in the second period. We battled in the third but just couldn’t score. It wasn’t the full effort we wanted for sure. There was definitely some mental mistakes that cost us tonight … but I don’t think we’re going backwards. I think everyone knows what we need to do, it’s just going out there and executing that.”
“We have to be better and help out our goalies,” Slafkovsky said.
“I think four of the goals were from right in the slot,” Struble said. “That’s something that can’t be happening. It comes down to leaving guys open in the slot. It’s not the system. Personally, guys have to do their jobs.”
