After not trailing for 447:08 in these playoffs, the Montreal Canadiens’ streak ended last night after Shea Theodore’s goal right off the faceoff in the first period, which gave the Vegas Golden Knight a 1-0 lead. The Canadiens ended up losing the game 4-1.
They started the game well, not looking rusty at all, and really dominating, that was until Theodore scored. After that, the entire momentum shifted and the Golden Knights took charge of the game.
The Canadiens had some good scoring chances, Brendan Gallagher got a few in the first period, but Marc-André Fleury was spectacular all game long, robbing the Canadiens quite a few times.
The Knights’ defence was not only solid but also productive, scoring three out of their four goals (Theodore, Alec Martinez, and Nick Holden).
The Canadiens’ defence, on the other hand, seemed shaky. Shea Weber, Ben Chiarot, and Joel Edmundson looked sharp.
Alexander Romanov, who looked very good at times, especially delivering that huge hit on Alex Pietrangelo, also looked shaky at other times. He was nowhere to be seen on the Martinez goal, though we can blame both Brett Kulak and Romanov on this one.
Kulak also did not look as sharp as his fellow defencemen, and Erik Gustafsson had a quiet night, other than screening Carey Price on that first goal by Theodore. Sure, it can happen, but it’s the playoffs and he needs to be more careful and not let it happen again.
With Jeff Petry and Jon Merrill out of the lineup, that doesn’t leave many options for the Canadiens’ blueline, so they really need to adjust and find ways to get back to their respective places to be able to make defensive plays and block shots. As amazing as Price is, he can’t do it all on his own.
It also looked like Weber got hurt towards the end of the game, but he still came back and played after Price was pulled for the extra attacker.
It is obvious the Knights are on a whole other level than the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets, but if the Canadiens want a shot at beating them, they need to figure out a way to shut them down and score.
Talking about scoring, Cole Caufield got the one and only goal for the Canadiens, which also happened to be his first playoff goal in the NHL, and a powerplay goal. And to his luck, his family was there and finally got to see him play in the NHL. However, that moment of pride and happiness quickly dissipated for the 20-year-old, as the Knights were able to respond and restore the then two-goal lead, with another goal right off the faceoff.
The Canadiens really need to focus on their defence and own zone faceoffs for Game 2. Vegas got too many good looks off of faceoff wins in Montreal’s zone and that’s not something they should allow them to do, because it resulted in two goals last game, and could result in more goals later on.
For Montreal, the goals will eventually come if they keep pressuring Vegas, which they only really did for the first and last ten minutes of the game.
One of, if not the only, player who kept pressuring Fleury and the Knights’ defence was Josh Anderson, who used his speed and size to drive towards the Vegas net and try to score. This is the kind of pressure that will tire a team out, and if others can join Anderson, it will eventually lead to more goals for Montreal. If they can frustrate the Knights, just like they did the Leafs and Jets, it should be a big help, but it sure won’t be as easy as it was in the first two rounds.
The Canadiens also have to stay disciplined and not get too frustrated themselves, or it will cost them more penalties and create good opportunities for the Knights, who don’t need any more than they create five on five.