Montreal Canadiens: 5 Takeaways Following Game 3

Sometimes in the playoffs, you need a goalie to step up and win you a game. Carey Price did just that in Game 3 as the Montreal Canadiens squeaked out a 3-2 overtime win to take a 2-1 series lead. Montreal was gifted a goal in the final minutes of the third period that forced overtime where Josh Anderson scored his second of the night to knock off Vegas.

Here are the five takeaways from the improbable win with three of them being positive and two negative.

1. Carey Price Steals A Game – Positive

You just had the feeling if the Canadiens were to beat the Golden Knights in the series that Carey Price would have to steal one, and boy did he ever. Montreal was outshot 30-8 after two periods and somehow the score was tied at 1’s. At that time the lone goal came off a brutal giveaway by Eric Staal. Price would let one more goal in the third courtesy of Alex Pietrangelo, however, it was the save a few moments later on Alex Tuch that was the save of the game and kept the Canadiens in it.

Had Price not saved that and the 38 saves leading up to overtime, there is no question that the Canadiens would have never been in a position to tie the game. Price would end up with 43 saves and honours of the number one star. It’s games like these that remind you how important it is to have a guy like Price between the pipes. He has been fantastic all postseason and because of his efforts in Game 3, the Montreal Canadiens have a 2-1 series lead.

2.  Josh Anderson Finally Shows Up – Positive

Not since the first game of the playoffs had Josh Anderson registered a point. In Game 3, he was one of the Canadiens’ top forwards scoring the game-tying goal and then the eventual overtime winner.

The first goal he scored was a gift, but it showed his smarts by going in front of the net instead of going right at Marc-Andre Fleury. It probably felt great for Anderson who had been doing a good job in laying out the body and driving to the net but was never rewarded. Once the proverbial monkey was off the back and the Canadiens were in overtime looking for someone to step up, it was Anderson’s heroics that saved the day. After a great play in knocking the Jesperi Kotkaniemi saucer pass out of mid-air and staying onside, it was a beautiful pass from Paul Byron that led to Anderson’s game-winner. If Anderson can get going, Montreal becomes even more of a threat offensively. The Canadiens are 4-0 in overtime games in the postseason and each winning goal has come from a different player.

3. Slow Start – Negative

Talk about a slow start. The Canadiens were outshot 11-0 before they could get one shot attempt on Fleury. In the first two games of the series, the Canadiens were the better team in the first period. On Friday night there was no question that the Vegas Golden Knights came out flying.

Thanks to the brilliance of Price, despite being outshot 17-3, the Canadiens were at a scoreless tie after the first period. The second period was similar to the first in which Vegas dominated the play, but the Bleu Blanc et Rouge remained tied after two periods despite being outshot 30-8. While they got away with this game, they cannot afford these slow starts and expect Price to bail them out each time. Look for Montreal to come out strong to start Game 4, knowing the importance of going up 3-1 in the series as opposed to being tied at 2-2.

4. Team Character- Positive

All throughout the playoffs, the Canadiens have continued to show their character as a team. Whether it was coming back from 3-1 to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, to winning the next three games after the scary hit on Jake Evans, each series has had its own share of adversity. Prior to the puck drop, it was reported that head coach Dominique Ducharme would be out for the rest of the series after testing positive for COVID-19.

Ducharme’s absence meant that Luke Richardson would take over as the bench boss for the remainder of the series. In a pivotal Game 3, the Canadiens didn’t back down from the challenge. The veterans kept the guys in the locker room focused and even when they were down 2-1 with a  few minutes left, the team found a way to rally and come away with the massive win.

One thing is for sure about this team and it’s their will to play for each other. Look no further than 36-year-old Corey Perry, who after taking a wicked high stick to the face that went uncalled, was forced back to the room for stitches. Following Anderson’s GWG, he was the first guy on the bench to celebrate and congratulate his teammates.

5. Bottom Defence Pair-Negative

The one weakness for Montreal has been the play of their bottom pairing. Whether it was Brett Kulak, Alex Romanov, Eric Gustafsson, or Jon Merrill, the Canadiens have seemed to have gotten away with riding with their top-four defencemen.

Gustafsson was brought in to help out the power play, which in some ways has had an effect on the team, but after playing a team-low 7:21 of hockey, it makes you wonder how the Habs can sustain that. Merrill played 16:03 minutes and was used a little bit more but in sporadic moments. Out of the big four, it was Joel Edmundson who played the least amount with 27:27 of ice time, which means that it’s been a taxing postseason for guys like Jeff Petry, Shea Weber, and Ben Chiarot.

While they have managed to get this far with the same game plan, it has to be something they look at internally and wonder if they can keep it up. Romanov proved more promising than Merrill and Gustafsson, and he could play more minutes which would help alleviate the pressure on those big guys. However, for now, the Canadiens will not be changing their lines anytime soon, so they will have to keep going as so.