NHL: Montreal Canadiens at Carolina Hurricanes
Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

The Montreal Canadiens faced the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night, hoping to carry their momentum into the new year following an impressive victory versus the Florida Panthers in the previous match-up.

Prior to puck drop, it was announced that veteran defenceman Mike Matheson was not cleared to play, a result of an ugly elbow delivered by Panthers forward Brad Marchand.

The Canadiens and Hurricanes decided to take part in a defence-optional game, which led to a few lead changes, not to mention a bevy of goals. In the end, the Habs had the final say, winning 7-5.

It was Montreal’s first victory in Carolina since 2016.

Let’s dive into the highlights!

Hot Start

Captain Nick Suzuki, who was recently named to Team Canada’s Olympic roster, got things rolling three minutes into the first period, capitalizing on a nice pass by newcomer Alex Texier.

All things considered, Texier has done a fairly good job since being promoted to the top line, even if it’s clear he’s not a long-term solution in that position. As long as he can keep up with Suzuki and Cole Caufield‘s speed of play, he’ll continue to productively fill the gap in the lineup.

The Canadiens extended their lead to 2-0 less than a minute later, when Ivan Demidov put together a sweet move to create open ice, and eventually find Oliver Kapanen with a perfect pass.

As we previously discussed, this line doesn’t do a great job controlling the play every night, but they are scoring goals, and that’s hard to ignore at this point of the season, given the Habs will need to bank as many goals as possible if they hope to maintain their grip on a playoff spot.

Quick Reversal

The Habs decided that two goals in just 54 seconds were enough to take the rest of the period off, and the Hurricanes made them pay. Carolina scored three well-deserved goals to quickly erase Montreal’s lead, and as per usual, they took place following some questionable defensive coverage by the Canadiens.

Carolina would go on to score three more goals, establishing a 4-2 lead in the process. There were a few individuals that struggled, include Alex Carrier and Jakub Dobes, but as is often the case in hockey, there was more at play than just a few missed reads. The Canadiens simply took their foot off the gas, and they paid a heavy price.

Secondary Scoring

In previous seasons, the Canadiens would have called it a day after allowing their opponents to score four straight goals, but this team has shown time and again that they’re willing to work hard to dismantle any deficit.

Sammy Blais was the author of the goal that cut the Hurricanes lead to just one, though we do have to give credit to Lane Hutson for his excellent positioning and active stick, which allowed Blais to capitalize on the rush play.

Flying Frenchman

No one expected Texier to win the Art Ross after his contract was bought out by the St. Louis Blues, but there was a hope that he could provide a spark in a lineup that lacked depth on the wings.

It’s still early in his Canadiens tenure, but it’s fair to say he’s done a very reasonable job with his new team, as evidenced by his excellent playmaking on Thursday night, including the assist on Cole Caufield‘s game-tying goal.

Mr. Anderson

Josh Anderson scored his first goal since December 13, following a perfect pass by Hurricanes forward Nik Ehlers.

It wasn’t the prettiest goal, but they don’t ask how, they just ask how many.

In this case, the goal was Montreal’s fifth of the game, and third straight since their first-period nap.

Slovak Impact

Juraj Slafkovsky secured the win midway through the third period, putting together a nice rush that included a clean zone entry, something we’ve seen with increased regularity since he was placed on the second line.

It was Slafkovsky’s 14th goal of the season, giving the Canadiens the insurance they needed to emerge with a 7-5 win.

The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Saturday, facing the Blues in St. Louis. The puck drop is scheduled for 4 pm ET.

All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.

avatar
By Marc Dumont
Marc has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for Journal Metro, The Athletic, The ... More about Marc Dumont

Tap Here To Add Sportsnaut As A Trusted Source on GoogleTap Here To Add Sportsnaut As A Trusted Source on Google