After a 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night, the Montreal Canadiens were hoping to bounce back with a win against the Dallas Stars, but Glenn Gulutzan’s men had other plans. The Habs played a good first frame and put plenty of shots on net in the first 20 minutes, but things unravelled afterwards.
More than the outcome, though, what this game is likely to be remembered for is the gruesome injury sustained by Alex Newhook and how it became a turning point in this tilt. Hopefully, for Martin St-Louis and his men, it doesn’t become a turning point for the season.
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The Crash
It was 2-0 early in the second frame when Newhook fell feet-first into the board, making his knee bend in a way no knee should ever bend. This is a really tough break for the Newfoundlander, who was easily playing his best hockey since being acquired by the Canadiens. In 16 games, he had racked up six goals and six assists.
If the Canadiens haven’t suffered too much from injuries since the start of the season, this one is likely to hurt. Not just because of Newhook’s production, but also because he had become an essential member of the team’s penalty kill. Of course, sniper Patrik Laine was also injured just five games in, but he was only playing on the fourth line and the second power-play unit. Newhook had started to develop an excellent chemistry with linemates Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov.
If the start of the season had made it seem like Kent Hughes might not have needed to get a center as a matter of urgency, this injury is likely to change that state of affairs. Don’t expect the Canadiens’ GM to pull the trigger on a deal in a panic, though; that’s not his type.
#Habs Alex Newhook injury - Nov 13 - YouTube
Odd-Man Chances Galore
After 40 minutes, the Stars had a 5-0 lead after taking just 13 shots, but it should be noted that they were slicing the Canadiens’ defence left, right and center, creating many odd-man opportunities for themselves.
The most blatant example came on Dallas’ third goal, when Lane Hutson pinched to create some attack, and nobody covered for him. Juraj Slafkovsky skated to the bench for a change while Tyler Seguin was skating away to face Jakub Dobes on a breakaway, and a second later it was 3-0.
It’s also fair to say that Dobes wasn’t playing his best hockey either, and it wasn’t shocking to see Samuel Montembeault turn up to start the third frame. Nor was it that Dallas scored on its first shot against him; things weren’t going well for the Canadiens. Asked about why he replaced Dobes to start the third, St-Louis replied:
I mean, you always worry when you pull, but I felt it was the right thing to do at the time, you know, but I’m not worried about their confidence [the goalies], they’ll be fine.-
Interestingly, St-Louis went from talking about Dobes to both of his goaltenders there, without anyone even mentioning Montembeault. As things stand, it looks like the Canadiens now have two goaltenders struggling to find their game, rather than just one. Putting Dobes on the shelf when he was playing lights-out might have been an error.
What’s Next?
It took some time for the bench boss to appear before the press tonight, but it wasn’t because he needed to calm down. St-Louis explained that, with Newhook still being evaluated, they needed to make some decisions. While nothing has been confirmed yet, it’s clear the Habs will be recalling someone from the Laval Rocket, and that Newhook will miss some time.
What’s worse, though, is the fact that it won’t just be a matter of recalling a player and having him take Newhook’s spot; the coaches will need to go back to the drawing board to find some new working combinations.
Watch this space later today to know who’s practicing with the team in Brossard and if we get some clues about some potential new lines.
The Habs will now need to swiftly move on and prepare to host the Boston Bruins on Saturday night at the Bell Centre before heading to Columbus for an away game on Monday. It would certainly help matters if the power play could start clicking again. The man-advantage has failed to score in its last 10 opportunities, and the Canadiens have now been scored on 12 times without being able to answer. There’s plenty of work ahead for St-Louis and co.
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