It seems Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis' decision to grow out a beard coincided with two of the team's most complete games of the season.
The clash against the defending Stanley Cup champions was one where the team rallied around rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes in his NHL debut. It was a rare 1 p.m. start, and the confidence that Dobes gave the Habs to perform was impressive. It was night and day compared to that with Cayden Primeau between the pipes.
Montreal played a strong 60 minutes of hockey and showed no fear against the Panthers, a team that can do a lot of damage. Dobes, showed no fear as well and simply looked brilliant between the pipes. A shutout performance in his NHL debut, and a tip of the cat from Carey Price also.
Safe to say it has been a whirlwind for Dobes, and if he can help lessen the load for Samuel Montembeault, he may have some important games to play before the season closes out. If Montreal continues its strong play with the addition of defenseman Alexandre Carrier, rookie goaltender Dobes and Patrik Laine, Dobes could get a taste of playoff action. There is lots of work ahead, but Montreal put themselves in a great spot with their 4-0 win over the Panthers.
Montembeault was rested, which is a rarity this season; and facing the Tampa Bay Lightning, it proved to be an important factor in the teams win. Tampa Bay played a typical game, their best players stood out, but Montembeault played very well, the defence had a strong outing and the secondary offense was flying.
Jake Evans extended his goal-scoring streak to five games, he also scored his sixth point through six games. Joel Armia also got in on the scoring, and Brendan Gallagher scored a goal of his own. Four of the Canadiens' five goals against Tampa came from bottom-six players with Christian Dvorak also adding a goal.
Alex Newhook had a strong weekend that saw him scoring a goal and two assists. I would say both games were won because of confident goaltending and strong defence. The forwards played strong on both sides of the puck, limiting chances against and pushing the opponents on their heels.
Habs Olé olé olé their way through Florida
The olé olé olé chants continued in Tampa, with Habs fans cheering on the team in enemy territory. Dobes and the Habs heard similar chants from the Panthers crowd on Saturday. The Canadiens played some of their best hockey, after some good old holiday season rest.
"Olé, Olé, Olé" rings out in Tampa by the #Habs fans in attendance - #GoHabsGo sweep Florida!
— Priyanta Emrith (@HabsInHighHeels) December 30, 2024
Martin St. Louis's group played a perfect weekend of hockey, and if they can carry this on through the second-half of the season they could be in the fight for the playoffs. These are two of the best in the Eastern conference, but also in the entire league. The Habs played their best hockey of the season, and the team looked like a cohesive unit.