Canadiens: 24 Thoughts On Habs Game Seven Of Regular Season

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The Montreal Canadiens took on the Columbus Blue Jackets last night in a battle of a couple of teams who fought to the end for a better spot in the 2022-23 standings.

Of course, the team’s were battling for a better spot in NHL’s Draft Lottery and the Blue Jackets were able to beat out the Canadiens in that race. They would go on to draft third overall and select Adam Fantilli while the Canadiens would grab David Reinbacher two slots later.

Both teams head into this game with winning records which probably was not expected but they are also playing their seventh games of the season. Here, we take a look back at last night’s game with 24 Thoughts on the Habs after facing the Blue Jackets.

First Period Thoughts

One of these teams will be in a playoff spot after winning tonight’s game which is kind of wild. Again, it is super early in the season, but who saw the Canadiens and Blue Jackets being good enough to be ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes at any point in the season?

I know the Canadiens aren’t expected to be much better, but the Blue Jackets have Emil Bemstrom and Jack Roslovic playing on the top line with Johnny Gaudreau? Patrik Laine is hurt which changes things, but they were one injury away from having Gaudreau playing with Roslovic and Bemstrom? That’s not a good team. I am picking the Blue Jackets ahead of the Canadiens in any draft lottery pools this year.

Tanner Pearson comes down the wing with a nice burst of speed and gets a decent scoring chance. This is a guy who came to Montreal with absolutely no expectations after a miserable 2022-23 season with the Vancouver Canucks, but he has looked really good in his first few weeks as a Canadiens winger. He could be a nice piece of trade bait to dangle at the deadline assuming the Canadiens are sellers in a couple of months.

Johnny Gaudreau is a super skilled player who is off to a slow start to his season with just three points in six games. Of course, it takes him almost no time to hit the scoresheet against the Canadiens as he sets up a goal less than three minutes into the game. Some players just always seem to play well against the Habs.

Arber Xhekaj gets absolutely drilled from behind by some guy making his NHL debut. Then they fight. Of course the referees don’t give out a power play as Xhekaj gets roughing and fighting while the Blue Jackets player gets boarding (well deserved) and fighting. Who gets roughing and fighting for fighting a guy? That’s a really weird way to even up calls.

Now Cole Sillinger runs Alex Newhook from behind and gets another boarding call. Maybe hitting from behind is just part of their pregame strategy? Or course, there is no power play as the Canadiens also get a roughing penalty in the ensuing scrum. Evening things out all the time is a sign of weakness in a ref, it just shows they aren’t bold enough to just make the right call and want to try and keep things equal for everyone. It’s like when a kid gets a present because it is their brother’s birthday and their parents think they’ll get jealous and sad. Soft.

Jacob Fowler just let in a pretty soft goal, though he is off to a great start at Boston College. Oops wrong game, I am watching too many at the same time.

Nothing better for a bad power play than facing the Canadiens. The Blue Jackets power play is clicking at 14% coming into the game but they were all over the Habs during their first man advantage and found the back of the net. It was Bemstrom with the goal…. maybe he is good.

Oct 26, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward Jake Evans. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /

Second Period

Down two after the first period, you would expect the Canadiens to come out hot and they did exactly that. The top line moves the puck around the offensive zone creating pressure and a good chance for Cole Caufield before Nick Suzuki steals a puck and fires home a wrist shot to get the Habs on the board. It is good to see Suzuki finally score his first of the season, should get him going offensively.

Justin Barron may have been a healthy scratch to start the year but how do you scratch him ever again? On one shift early in the second he just effortlessly carries the puck from his own zone into the attacking zone and then makes an enormous defensive play to stop a cross-ice pass on a two on one. He just calmly gets the job done all over the ice.

The Canadiens finally get a couple of power plays and it reminds me I should not have been upset that the Canadiens did not get the power plays they deserved in the first period.

Habs young defense make some great plays and have tons of potential, but they still show their age from time to time. The seas parted in the defensive zone right after a power play and the Blue Jackets got two huge scoring chances in a row. It’ll be a work in progress for years but you just hope to keep seeing the upward trajectory overall. Still seeing it with Harris, Xhekaj, Barron. Hope Guhle jumps right back into form upon his eventual return.

Speaking of Blue Jackets chances, neither of them went in as Sam Montembeault made huge saves. Is he really good? Is he about to let in six? Who knows with this guy?

Bemstrom scores his second goal of the night and it was set up by Roslovic who now has three points in this game. I may have been too harsh on the Blue Jackets first liners.

The Canadiens get away with one that is almost always called as a slash on the stick of Adam Fantilli broke his stick in two pieces. This is usually an automatic call but it is not, and then the Blue Jackets take an interference penalty on Josh Anderson. I’m guessing the Canadiens get called for a weak one in the near future to make things even.

In his second season of college hockey, Caufield mostly played right defense on the power play when most would expect him in Ovechkin’s spot on the left wing. It worked, as he won the Hobey Baker Award. He ended up there on a power play late in the second and it seemed to fool the Blue Jackets. Two forwards kind of overcommitted when Matheson had the puck up high trying to get in the lane between him and Caufield and it opened up a ton of space for Matheson who stepped up and fired home a wrist shot. A power play goal for the Habs!? Imagine. We haven’t seen one of those since Stephane Richer played here.

Mar 25, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jordan Harris. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /

Third Period

Kovacevic moves up to play with Matheson on the top pairing while Barron moves down alonside Harris. Interesting little swap as I thought Barron looked quite good next to Matheson. Smooth two-way play and looks to be getting better and better after sitting out the first three games.

Josh Anderson may never score again. He has not scored yet this season and a puck bounced to him at the top of the crease where he got full control of the puck while the goalie was miles away. Somehow his shot was redirected by a Blue Jackets defender who desperately reached his stick into the crease and cleared it out of the way. Poor Anderson could have used one against his former team, and he needs to get on the board soon.

The ice at the Bell Centre appears less than fantastic and the latest puck bounce led to a penalty. Gallagher lost the puck as it hopped over his stick and Boone Jenner nearly was gone on a breakaway but Gallagher wrapped him up. I thought the Bell Centre was supposed to have great ice?

Monahan scored his third goal of the season on a beauty redirect in front. ON A POWER PLAY! The Habs PP is at 20.6% right now? What? Also, Habs could get quite the haul at the deadline for Pearson and Monahan… oh wait, they are in a playoff spot if they can win tonight!

I can’t tell if Pearson is a really good skater or just looks fast while playing with Monahan and Gallagher. Will get back to you whenever they shuffle the lines.

I really like Jesse Ylonen. He skates well, seems good with the puck and has a great shot. Never going to put up points with Evans and Pezzetta though.

Gallagher took a late penalty that nearly led to the Blue Jackets scoring the game winner on the power play, but I couldn’t believe the burst of speed he showed to get back defensively. He was behind the Blue Jackets net digging for a puck and next thing I knew he was back on Fantilli’s heels taking away a scoring chance (illegally, but he got there).

Cole Caufield is the gift from all those teams that passed on him at the 2019 NHL Draft that keeps on giving. Another overtime winner and the Habs are 4-2-1 on the season. They’ve beaten the Buffalo Sabres, ancient Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets, who all missed the playoffs last season, but they are 4-2-1 and technically in a playoff spot!

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