There was no Chelsea Dagger for the Montreal Canadiens complete the weekend back-to-back with another win as they shutout the Chicago Blackhawks 2-0.
Let’s be honest with ourselves here. The Montreal Canadiens were far from the favourites to win this game. It was the second half of a back-to-back, they were facing the Chicago Blackhawks, and 23-year-old Charlie Lindgren was making his regular season debut. However, the Habs had another strong performance and got the win.
The Canadiens are slowly coming out of the tunnel. With this win, they sit only three points out of the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. On one hand, it speaks to how tight the East is, but also to how better the Habs have been as of late.
There’s a chance for the Montreal Canadiens to really turn this season around. After completing this road trip, they’ll be starting a nine game home stand starting with the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. The Bell Center will have a completely different vibe if the team can continue this level of play.
Thoughts and Observations
Five or ten years from now, Habs fans will pull out their history books and look up Sunday November 5th 2017. That was the day the Great Wall of Lindgren was built.
Al Montoya gave the Montreal Canadiens a chance to win against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. Lindgren not only gave the team a chance, but he made a whole heap of game-saving saves. You have to acknowledge the level of thievery.
Chicago had a lot of point-blank chances in the first two periods, and Lindgren turned them all aside. You have to imagine how frustrated Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane must’ve been. Lindgren took away everything from the Blackhawks and finished his season debut with his first career shutout. To put the cherry on top, he’s also undefeated with a 4-0-0 record.
Charlie Lindgren with a fantastic sprawling save on Toews! pic.twitter.com/Bdbd0ZozeJ
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla) November 6, 2017
Besides the performance of a hot goaltender, watching Alex Galchenyuk and Jonathan Drouin build more chemistry was another payoff. Galchenyuk was promoted to the top line in the past, but it rarely lasted long. He hasn’t given Claude Julien any reason to pull him off. As much as you can make it about playing with Drouin, Galchenyuk has been putting in a much better effort each night.
The two combined for the first goal of the game in the third period. Artturi Lehkonen forced the turnover in the neutral zone, and Galchenyuk made sure to get himself in position by the blueline to feed Drouin who was streaking into the zone. Drouin did what Drouin does and it’s a 1-0 hockey game. That goal also ended Corey Crawford‘s shutout streak of about 173 minutes which dates back to November 1st against the Philadelphia Flyers.
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Another interesting thing from this game was how Julien ran the blueline. The top four got the majority of the minutes, which is something you’d expect, but it really stood out. Shea Weber nearly played half the game with 27:55 which Karl Alzner, Jeff Petry, and Jordie Benn all hovered around the 22 minute mark.
Rookie Victor Mete had his minutes cut dramatically as he paired up with Joseph Morrow for about 10. This is the second game in a row this happened. It makes sense, playing on the top pair every night is taxing, and its tougher to do it in your first year.
Speaking of Morrow, he scored as well. It was a slap shot from the point that found its way past Crawford to put the Habs up by two, but Andrew Shaw‘s screen in front of the net was a big part of it. Morrow had a better game than what fans are accustomed to on both ends of the ice, so it’s hard not to think we’ll see more of him soon.
These are the kind of games the Montreal Canadiens need to win. It’s not about potting in goals left and right, but finishing on your chances and being responsible enough not to give them up. Keep this up and the Habs will be in a playoff spot before we know it.
Next: The Montoya-Lindgren Tandem
What did you make of the game? Did Lindgren’s shutout surprise you? What will the Drouin-Galchenyuk combination be able to do further into the season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.