Montreal Canadiens: A Tyler Toffoli Hat-Trick and Staying Out of the Box

It was late night start for the Montreal Canadiens as they went up against the Vancouver Canucks in their first game in a series of three. However, the back and forth between both teams made the affair one worth watching until the very end, even if the Canadiens had a glaring issue throughout the game.

The Vancouver Canucks would have the final say in a 6-5 shootout win as the Montreal Canadiens managed to escape with a point they may not have been fully deserving of in the first place.

Montreal Canadiens Cannot Stay out of the Box

In their last two games, the Montreal Canadiens have taken a total of thirteen penalties (26:00). While they were able to hold the Edmonton Oilers at bay, killing off all seven and scoring a short-handed goal on Monday, they had no such luck against a powerplay unit that was far more lethal.

The Vancouver Canucks made use of their star players on Wednesday, scoring three out of their five regulation goals on the powerplay. This caused the Montreal Canadiens to repeatedly look for a means to tie up the game. While they were able to respond in a high-scoring affair, the lack of discipline would be the root cause of the team’s struggles throughout the night.

One of the biggest culprits of the night was the 20-year old Jesperi Kotkaniemi who was called for unsportsmanlike conduct in the second period of play. While there was reason to be frustrated with the officials after they missed Canucks goaltender Braden Holtby tripping him, players know better than to express that frustration right to them.

As a result of the call, the Vancouver Canucks went on the powerplay to take a 3-2 lead. Brock Boeser would be assited by Bo Horvat and Quinn Hughes

Kotkaniemi did make up for the call both on and off the ice, scoring his first of the season in the third period and taking full responsibility for the his actions in the post-game interviews. The forward also recorded an assist on Tyler Toffoli’s first goal of the night in the second period and had strong numbers in the faceoff circle, winning 7 out of 9 faceoffs.

Following the loss, Jesperi Kotkaniemi blamed himself for the Canadiens’ loss:

"It was just a really dumb thing to do for a young guy. That probably cost us a win, possibly cost us a win tonight. For sure we’ll learn from that"

Head coach Claude Julien also commented on the unsportsmanlike conduct and that Jesperi Kotkaniemi can use it as a learning experience.

Lack of Discipline Spoils Tyler Toffoli’s Elite Performance

Loss aside, the Montreal Canadiens biggest acquisition in free agency played his best game of the season against the Canucks. Recording his first assist against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday, Tyler Toffoli had yet to get on the board in a Canadiens jersey. That would change on Wednesday night as Tyler Toffoli went on to score two game-tying goals in the second period as well as scoring a third to take the lead in the third period.

Tyler Toffoli opened the scoring for the Canadiens on what many considered the goal of the night. Jesperi Kotkaniemi got the assist with a pass in the neutral zone.

Tyler Toffoli’s second goal came from a smart pass by Nick Suzuki that Tyler Toffoli was anticipating right in front of netminder Braden Holtby. This would be the second game-tying goal scored by the forward before losing the lead once more to the Canucks.

Lastly, Toffoli completed the hat trick to give the Montreal Canadiens their only lead of the night with assists from Joel Armia and Jeff Petry (sixth point of the season). However, Brock Boeser would quickly respond with his second goal of the night

Had the Montreal Canadiens game not been marred with unnecessary penalties, Toffoli’s hat trick would have been the deciding factor in a third straight win.

Looking Ahead

The Montreal Canadiens and Vancouver Canucks will play their second game of a back to back tonight at 9:30pm ET. Given the time since their last tilt, it would not be surprising to see Jake Allen get the start in goal for the Canadiens.