Canadiens: 24 Thoughts On Habs Lack Of Offense vs Panthers

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The Montreal Canadiens returned to the Bell Centre last night after a give game road trip through California that ended in Columbus the previous night.

Here are 24 thoughts on the Habs game vs division rival Florida Panthers.

First Period Thoughts

Cayden Primeau gets the start against another great team. He might not play often, but he is not being sheltered after facing the New Jersey Devils, Vegas Golden Knights and Detroit Red Wings in his first three starts. He did get to face the San Jose Sharks which was a nice break for the kid, but the Panthers are another tough test.

Josh Anderson has an eventful and successful first shift. He kept the puck in at blue line with some nice hand-eye as he knocked a Panthers breakout pass out of midair and gained possession. Then he got in on the forecheck and laid a heavy bodycheck on a Panthers defender. Finally, he drew a penalty as the defender he hit cross checked him as retaliation.

Good to see Juraj Slafkovsky and Jesse Ylonen get a little power play time. It was with the second unit but they fired the puck around confidently before getting a shot on goal from the point. Those two young players deserve a longer look on the man advantage. I hope they are featured prominently in the team’s top nine at even strength going forward as well.

Slafkovsky broke down the wing on a 2-on-1 and will get criticized for trying to force a pass instead of firing a shot on goal. But like, he was trying to pass to Cole Caufield and if that puck gets to him he will put it in the net so it isn’t that bad of a decision.

The Panthers completely obliterated the Canadiens for the past couple seasons if I remember correctly. As in, automatic goalie pull, let in half a dozen at least and get embarrassed. Let’s hope that is not the case tonight.

The Canadiens second power play is an adventure. They got a couple of chances but they came off the rush and they allowed a couple of 2-on-1s the other way. Mike Matheson made a nice play to break up the first one (though he almost knocked it into his own net and Primeau made a great save on him) and Alex Newhook’s tremendous speed got him into position to break up the second one. You don’t want to see the other team getting chances while shorthanded but if they do you admire the effort of Matheson and Newhook when they break it up.

Josh Anderson gets absolutely hauled down by a sprawling defenseman while on a clear breakaway and there is no call for a penalty shot. Why don’t referees call penalty shots more often? They know this is an entertainment business and penalty shots are far more entertaining than the Canadiens power play.

Primeau was pretty sharp in the opening period. He did not get tested a lot, but there were some good chances for the Panthers and he looks so confident and calm in the net this season. Kicks pucks out of harm’s way or gobbles up rebounds. He makes good reads to stay square to the puck and isn’t diving around the crease like we saw from him sometimes in the past. He’s a keeper as far as I am concerned and Jake Allen needs to go.

Nov 30, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Justin Barron. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports /

Second Period Thoughts

Johnathan Kovacevic made a great play early in the second period to block a cross-ice pass from Sam Reinhart to Matthew Tkachuk. The puck is probably in the net if the pass gets across, but Kovacevic reads it well, forces Reinhart to make a play and breaks it up. With all the young players coming up, I don’t know how long Kovacevic holds on to his roster spot, but he has brought tremendous value for a waiver pickup.

Ylonen and Tanner Pearson combine for a give and go that sends Ylonen in all alone. He fires it just over the crossbar, but the 24 year old continues to impress and doesn’t belong on the fourth line. Even putting him on the third line with Sean Monahan could provide some scoring depth for the team.

Meanwhile, Pearson has been pretty quiet when it comes to hitting the scoresheet but remains a smart, defensively responsible player that skates way better than I even expected and does not make many mistakes out there. It took an incredible pass to send Ylonen in alone and Pearson had the perfect touch on it. Could be a smart pickup for a contending team if the Canadiens become sellers later this season.

Gustav Lindstrom makes a brutal pass across his own blue line and it sends Barkov in all alone and he fires it past Primeau to open the scoring. You hate to see a goalie give one up because of his defenseman’s mistake. That one should go against Lindstrom’s GAA.

I know Joel Armia is still here but I think Jake Evans is the new Joel Armia. I love what he does on the penalty kill, he is great defensively, he even gets involved offensively often and creates plays. But he can go half a season without an actual goal like the best of them.

Slafkovsky made a great play to stickhandle between a couple of Panthers defenders and bring the puck into the attacking zone on the power play. A quick give and go sent him in on a scoring chance but he was in tight and just couldn’t get the handle quickly enough to get a good shot on net. He has come a long way already this season and is coming so close to breaking out and being a force offensively. It still might take a lot of time, but he is going to be really good.

Matheson took a nasty cross check from behind into the boards behind his net but there was no call. A few minutes earlier Jayden Struble was high sticked and even though he was bleeding it was a two minute penalty. I just don’t understand how referees can’t apply simple rules.

Speaking of Struble, he has only played 5:22 after 40 minutes of play. That’s an interesting number to keep an eye on. He doesn’t get much special teams and there were a lot of penalties in the second period but still, not many defensemen in the league play the 8 minutes per night that he is on pace for right now.

Nov 30, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens right wing Jesse Ylonen. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports /

Third Period Thoughts

With shades of Brian Skrudland scoring the fastest overtime goal in NHL history, Sam Bennett scores eight seconds into the third period to double the Panthers lead.

Alex Newhook got knocked down as he headed to the Panthers goal and he jams his left foot awkwardly into the mesh and sort of folds over top of his own foot as it is stuck in the net. He stayed down on the ice and needed to be helped to the dressing room without putting weight on his left foot. That looks like another long term injury for the Canadiens. With seven goals in his first 22 games he was on pace for 26.

Even if the Canadiens are really bad, you just want to see young players developing and playing well. It sucks when the young players who are playing well keep getting hurt. Kirby Dach was terrific when healthy last season and only played two games this season. Hopefully Newhook isn’t out long term as well.

The third goal against is not a good one as Primeau is beat clean with a wrist shot from about the top of the circle. He has been good, but that is one that should not go in.

When is the last time a player not named Brendan Gallagher actually got called for goalie interference? Seems like refs just wait and see if it causes a goal and then waive the goal off without even calling a penalty, but Gallagher gets hauled down on his way to the net and gets goalie interference.

Kovacevic had zero points in his first 16 games of the season and now has four goals in his past seven games. He is tied for seventh on the team in goals scored this season which is both great for Kovacevic and awful for the team as they obviously don’t score enough.

You have to feel kind of bad for Primeau. The Canadiens played last night and look sluggish in the third as the goals against pile up. One was surely stoppable but the team just kind of stopped playing in front of him after the second intermission.

A 5-1 loss after being down just 1-0 to start the third and the Habs now have 22 points in 23 games on the season. That puts them on pace for 78 points which would be a wide margin from the postseason.

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