It was an ugly way for the Montreal Canadiens to lose Game 1 against the Washington Capitals. Washington was in control for most of the game, but a late push from Montreal forced overtime. It was a victory to even get to that point for the young Habs, as it looked a lot like men vs. boys on Monday night. It would've been nice for the Canadiens to win 3-2 in overtime like they did in Game 1 in 2010, but they'll get another chance to split the road games on Wednesday.
Unfortunately for the Canadiens, they'll be wondering what might have been, considering they were called for an icing that didn't look correct. The Capitals' defenseman hit Patrik Laine at the blue line as he attempted to play the puck, leading to the icing call. It looked like the kind of play the linesman usually waves off due to the attacking player getting interfered with, but no such call was made. Instead, Alex Ovechkin scored off the ensuing faceoff.
The icing will be the storyline, but people shouldn't forget that Laine had a chance to get the puck in deep 10 seconds before the icing but turned over the puck. The Capitals took the puck the other way and had some offensive zone time before Montreal had to ice the puck. It tired out Laine's line and Washington was able to benefit from a good matchup.
That leads to the issue with the Canadiens. They've been trying to find the right fit since Ivan Demidov joined the team, and they've landed on the trio of Demidov, Laine, and Alex Newhook. Demidov and Newhook had tons of chemistry in their first game, where Demidov recorded a goal and an assist and Newhook had numerous opportunities.
Joel Armia was their linemate in that game, but he moved back down to the fourth line once Martin St. Louis dressed Emil Heineman over Oliver Kapanen. Demidov hasn't had the same chemistry with Laine, which concerns the coaching staff. When you put two guys together who value offense and don't put in tons of work on defense, it has an all-or-nothing approach.
The coaching staff hoped they'd find instant chemistry and outweigh their sometimes poor defensive decisions. It started with Laine failing to get the puck in deep, and ended with blown coverages that led to Ovechkin's goal-mouth scramble.
Will St. Louis throw the lines in the blender for Game 2? He likes to trust his guys, but the trio of Demidov, Laine, and Newhook could be an experiment worth scrapping.