The Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night were playing their second game in as many nights and they were on the road against a desperate Ottawa Senators team. For the Canadiens, they are trying to stay in that third spot in the Atlantic Division and entered the night only one point ahead of the Detroit Red Wings.
For the Senators, they are just trying to keep their playoff hopes alive as they are five points behind the Boston Bruins for that final wild card spot. On Wednesday night though, it was the Montreal Canadiens who came away with two points after a third-period goal by Ivan Demidov to secure the 3-2 win.
It was a back-and-forth meeting between these two teams as the Canadiens would open the scoring with Juraj Slafkovsky scoring early in the first period. However, the Senators responded with two goals to take a 2-1 lead in the second.
Ivan Demidov would score the game-winning goal about midway through the third period, which was all the team needed after Jacob Fowler was able to shut the door late in the period. These are some of the top takeaways from the game on Wednesday night between the Canadiens and the Senators.
Montreal Canadiens miss Cole Caufield but Texier delivers a goal
The Montreal Canadiens knew coming into this game they were going to be short-handed as their top forward, Cole Caufield, was going to be unavailable. It was reported yesterday that Caufield was dealing with a bug, and that is why he was limited to only about 10 minutes of ice time against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In Caufield's absence, Alexandre Texier replaced him on the top line and was playing in his first game since February 26th. He had been a healthy scratch since that game and made the most of his opportunity with a goal in the second period and four hits.
The Canadiens will have a few days off before their next game which should give Caufield time to get over his illness and ready to go for the next game on Saturday.
Juraj Slafkovsky makes Montreal Canadiens franchise history
Juraj Slafkovsky has carried over an impressive performance in the Olympics to his play with the Montreal Canadiens. He added a goal in the first period that gave the Canadiens the lead, and in seven games now since the Olympic break, he has had eight points.
This recent run of games has helped not only the Canadiens but also given Slafkovsky a franchise record. The goal he had on Wednesday night helped move him past Henri Richard for most points by a player before they turn 22.
The move to get Slafkovsky onto the top line with Nick Suzuki and Caufield when healthy has been great for Montreal. The young forward has been able to step into that spot really well and will be a boost for the Canadiens down the stretch and into the playoffs.
Jacob Fowler with the play of the game and was the player of the game
After Jakub Dobes started against the Toronto Maple Leafs the night before, the Canadiens called up Jacob Fowler from the AHL instead of having Sam Montembeault get the start. It was clearly the right move as Fowler delivered a great performance, and one sequence in particular that changed the momentum of the game.
In the second period, the Canadiens were down 2-1, and Juraj Slafkovsky looked like he had his second goal of the night. However, it hit the post and bounced out of the zone, which the Senators were able to collect with a breakaway.
However, Fowler played it perfectly and stopped the shot by Michael Amadio and then the rebound was shot wide by Shane Pinto. The Canadiens were able to race the other way where Texier was able to slam home the game-tying goal.
Fowler finished the game, stopping 32 of 34 shots, and was a big reason that the Montreal Canadiens are leaving Ottawa with two points. Late in the game, the Senators pulled their goalie, and with 6-on-5, Montreal struggled to gain control of the puck and clear the zone. It was really on Fowler to win the game for the Canadiens, and he was able to do just that with huge saves.
He has made a strong case at the very least to be the backup to Jakub Dobes, but also to see a few more starts this season.