Montreal Canadiens Fall 4-2 to Capitals in First Game Back From Bye Week

The Montreal Canadiens are back from the bye week and ready to make one last push for the playoffs. With 32 games remaining in the season, they will have to win 25 of those to reach the 98-point mark to clinch a playoff spot.

Unfortunately, this was not the night to get things going as the Montreal Canadiens fell 4-2 against the Washington Capitals

Before the game got started, the Montreal Canadiens paid tribute to NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna who were killed along with seven others in a tragic helicopter crash on Sunday that shook the sports world. A video tribute was playing on the scoreboard during The Star Spangled Banner.

First Period

Jeff Petry (assisted by Tatar and Scandella) opened the scoring for the Habs on a 3 on 2 play by getting get the puck through Braden Holtby’s legs on a play that looked effortless. The Habs then tried to build on the momentum but a penalty by Victor Mete slowed that down and put them on the penalty kill.

The remainder of the first period can be characterized as  what you would most expect from a team coming back from their bye week. With a bit of extra time to tighten up their play, the Habs could have capitalized on a few more chances.

The momentum started shifting in the Capitals favor and that started being seen in the shot counter as well and with a bit less than a minute and a half, a defensive turnover caused Tom Wilson to tie up the game for the Capitals at 1-1.

Second Period

Two minutes into the second period, Travis Boyd score on the power play to give the Capitals a 2-1 lead. The Montreal Canadiens then struggled to capitalize on both their back to back powerplays, though not due to a lack of effort.

Jakub Vrana score late in the second to give the Capitals a 3-1 which then saw the frustration settling in for the Canadiens who looked to be taking a step back in the first period and looked further disjointed.

The fans at the Bell Centre took note of this and were considerably more depleted but then responded with boos as the Canadiens went off the ice to conclude the period.

Third Period

The third period saw a heightened sense of urgency by the Montreal Canadiens but it seemed as though every player was always at the wrong spot. Key passes were being missed leading to either failed attempts at a shot on goal or turning over the puck at the blue line.

Luckily for the Habs, there was still over half a period left allowing Dale Weise to score his 1st goal of the season (assisted by Suzuki and Cousins). This brought some energy to the Canadiens lineup with some good chances by Max Domi and Nate Thompson but neither could finish.

The final nail in the coffin was the empty net goal by the Washington Capitals making the Habs record on home ice 10-13-4. This amplifies the boos we heard as the Canadiens went off the ice as the fans who regularly attend games have seen just 10 wins in 27 home games.

Milestone Game

Congratulations to Montreal Canadiens Dale Weise on playing in his 500th NHL game. Weise, who played some of his best hockey with the Habs had memorable performances in the playoffs during his first tenure as a Hab and is still a fan favorite among many. His third period goal gave the team some life and it was nice to see him contribute on what was already a memorable night for him.

Looking Ahead

If the Montreal Canadiens want to make a push for the playoffs, it is going to be an uphill battle that is only going to get tougher after their loss to the Capitals. With the three games remaining in the week and two of those being against divisional opponents, this may be their last chance to make a push before opting to sell at the trade deadline.

The Montreal Canadiens will make the trip to Buffalo on Thursday where they will face the Sabres at 7:00 PM.