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Canadiens: Crosby Makes History And The Penguins Finally Win One

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The Montreal Canadiens didn’t hold a morning skate or a media availability on Sunday. However, they still made the headlines when the Communications department confirmed that Samuel Montembeault wouldn’t be joining the team in Pittsburgh as initially planned. With the Becancour native staying behind and Jacob Fowler having played on Saturday night, Jakub Dobes was on duty Sunday night.

While the Canadiens managed to stave off the inevitable on Saturday night when they shutout the Pittsburgh Penguins and therefore kept Sidney Crosby off the scoresheet, they couldn’t repeat the feat on Sunday night. It took less than eight minutes for the Pens’ captain to find the back of the net and tie Mario Lemieux’s point total atop the franchise history, and less than five minutes later, he took sole possession of the title of top scorer in the team’s history.

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Jekyll and Hyde

Martin St-Louis has often said over the last few seasons that the biggest challenge with such a young team is to find consistency, and in the first frame, we got a prime example of that struggle.

The Habs took the lead on a fantastic passing play at even strength. Arber Xhekaj prevented the puck from leaving the zone by poking it to Ivan Demidov, who immediately fed Juraj Slafkovsky with a cross-zone pass before he, in turn, sent it across the zone to Oliver Kapanen, who one-timed it in.

It was as near perfect as a passing play could be. Still, on the very next shift, with the top line and the top pairing on the ice, the Habs skated like headless chickens in their own zone, turning the puck over to the Penguins and faster than a toddler goes from a broad smile to a full-blown temper tantrum, the Canadiens had conceded the equalizer.

It’s puzzling to see the effect scoring a goal can have on this young squad at times. Instead of giving them confidence, it makes them panic and all too often, they concede the equalizer right away.

Everything That Goes Up…

Trailing by one after 20 minutes and down 14-8 shots-wise, the Canadiens stormed back at the start of the second frame. They played a smart game, didn’t take any unnecessary risks, but were ready when an opportunity presented itself. Less than four minutes into the middle stanza, it was once again the kids’ line that struck gold. Slafkovsky first fed Kapanen, who was denied, but the big Slovak sent the rebound to the Russian rookie, who one-timed it in.

Once again, Slafkovsky’s pass was perfect. It makes a world of difference when he takes the time to check where his pass is going. Earlier this season, he would often try no-look backhand passes and lose the puck that way, no more. He’s playing smart and safe, and he’s being rewarded for it.

That proved to be another high, and by 9:36, the Canadiens had 15 shots on net and had caught up to the Pens in that department. From then on, it was all Pittsburgh, all the time for the rest of the period. The Habs' next shot came over seven minutes later, and by that point, Pittsburgh had 25 shots.

Granted, Dobes wasn’t great on Acciari’s goal, but the netminder faced 14 shots in each of the first two frames. A team that looked lifeless for large stretches of time in Montreal on Saturday night had the energy of a cup contender in the second game of this back-to-back.

Montreal finished the second down by a goal, and while it was able to tie up the score in the third frame, it couldn’t seal the deal.

Going To Extra Time Is Playing Russian Roulette

While I’ll agree that Dobes didn’t look great in the shootout, the truth of the matter is that the Canadiens wouldn’t have needed a good effort in the shootout had they been consistent all game long. When you can’t seal the deal in regulation, you’re basically leaving the result up to luck. One wrong move and it’s over. Or luck can be on your side, and your opponent absolutely dominates overtime but hits a couple of posts, which is what happened to Montreal tonight. The Penguins win their first game in nine outings on Crosby’s big night, a real Hollywood ending if there ever was one.

Despite the loss, it’s worth mentioning that the Habs were poetry in motion on the ice in overtime. Long gone are the days of the Canadiens’ big, heavy defenseman who could punish the opposition by hitting them, but couldn’t skate. Having Lane Hutson, Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson on the same team opens a world of possibilities for St-Louis.

The Canadiens will have a day off on Monday before playing their last game before the Christmas break when they take on the Boston Bruins on Tuesday. Phillip Danault, who has now arrived in Montreal, should join them there and be in the lineup, especially if the news isn’t good for Joe Veleno, who looked very shaken up after a hard collision late in the game.

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