Montreal Canadiens travel to Seattle for battle with Kraken

After a dominating showing by the Montreal Canadiens top line against the Vancouver Canucks, the Habs visit the Seattle Kraken, hoping to inch closer to a wildcard position.

Anytime that Kraken and Canadiens play, it's hard not to have flashbacks to the 2022 NHL Draft. Juraj Slafkovsky went first overall, and Shane Wright, who was a near consensus as the number one pick, fell to Seattle at fourth overall. Wright was none too impressed, and made sure that the Canadiens table knew about it when he walked to the stage to don the Kraken colors for the first time.

The argument could be made for both players to be first overall talents, but Montreal went with the 17-year-old that dominated the Olympics, before being a mainstay in the Slovakian forward core at the world championships. Wright was okay in the OHL, but Slafkovsky was an olympic mvp.

Slafkovsky also had the most points for a U-18 and U-20 player in the world championships; again as a 17-year-old. There was just far too much potential to pass on, and while it has been far from linear, Slafkovsky has an entire fanbase in love with him. Once he puts it altogether, the Habs are going to have a beast.

Jakub Dobes gets the nod between the pipes, after Samuel Montembeault took the lead in the back-to-back for the Canadiens. Notably, Lane Hutson is still searching for his 50th point of the season. And the Habs top line is feeling pretty hot, so watch for an encore against the Kraken.

Onto the game

The Canadiens announced that Patrik Laine was drawing back into the lineup, and his fellow countrymen Joel Armia is drawing out to deal with an injury.

The Seattle Kraken open the scoring on their second shot of the game, Brandon Montour, sniped a wrister from the slot past Dobes. Montreal, however, leads in shots. You can't fault Dobes on that goal, the defensive breakdown was the glaring issue.

Montour scored a hat trick in the first meeting between the Habs and Kraken this season.

Montreal's top line is trying to assert themselves, but through the first 7:54, there haven't been many dangerous chances directed towards Joey Daccord, who is a perfect five-for-five right now.

This isn't meant as a shot at Samuel Montembeault, but one thing that stands out to me when I watch Dobes play, is his rebound control. It's almost like he covers himself with super glue, because he absorbs a high volume of pucks. The ones he doesn't, he is adept at directing out of harm's way.

I feel like Seattle is playing with more energy than the Canadiens. Seattle has been off since losing to the Washington Capitals on Sunday night. Montreal, meanwhile played the Canucks on Tuesday night.

That is no excuse, though, because the playoff battle doesn't care, and Seattle isn't letting off the throttle.

With the clock down to five minutes, Seattle is leading in shots (8-5), and they have tilted the ice in the Habs zone. The best chances of the period have been against Dobes, and Montreal is fortunate to have him back there right now.

Arber Xhekaj nearly broke the boards with Wright, on a play that had it been anybody else, they would likely be challenged to answer the bell for the hit. No. 72, however, isn't just anybody, though a Jamie Oleksiak-Arber Xhekaj fight wouldn't hurt my feelings.

Xhekaj is off to the box for interference against Michael Eyssimont. Montreal is missing a massive part of their penalty killing group, with Armia out of the lineup.

Dobes' ears are ringing for sure, after Wright deflected a Vince Dunn point shot off the iron. Seattle has doubled up the Habs in shots (10-5). Montreal, however, killed off the penalty.

It was the type of period that I expect could provoke Martin St. Louis to send a message that may peel paint off the walls in the dressing room.

Second Period

Jani Nyman, making his NHL debut after putting up great numbers in the AHL, has had a few good looks against Dobes. Especially early in the second period, he has helped the Kraken take a commanding shot advantage over the Canadiens (18-5).

I'm not sure what message St. Louis echoed to his team, but it doesn't matter, because early on, I am convinced they didn't hear it. The Habs shot blockers, and goaltending have held the team in this one through 25 minutes of play.

I spoke too soon, Eeli Tolvanen doubled the Kraken's lead with his 13th goal of the season, on the Kraken's 19th shot of the game. 2-0 Seattle, and the Canadiens look a little discombobulated. Jayden Struble and Lane Hutson each direct a shot towards the net.

Montreal needed some kind of spark, and Montour, who opened the scoring for Seattle, finds himself in the box for tripping Evans. A goal here would go a long way in forcing a comeback.

Laine, who has been out of the lineup, sure has a way of returning to it, on the power play, anyway. Captain Suzuki put the puck on a platter for Laine, who blasted it past Daccord. A certain Lane Hutson passed the puck to Suzuki, before he found Laine in his office, Hutson has 50 points.

Newhook rang one off the post, and then all hell broke loose when Adam Larsson bumped Dobes in his paint. Arber Xhekaj grabbed Larsson, and Slafkovsky and Tolvanen had a heated exchange along the boards. That didn't look great for Dobes.

The referee's are playing with fire assessing offsetting minors, after Dobes was ran into. I feel like awarding a power play to Montreal would take gasoline off the fire. Xhekaj and Tolvanen each got two minutes for roughing.

Not sure how Larsson got no penalty, and Slafkovsky, too. Grabbing one from each scrum is great, but Larsson hit Dobes in his head.

Hutson is an elite-level forechecker, those are words that I didn't have chalked up as something I would ever say. But wow, he pressured the defender behind his net, then followed him out of the zone, and through the neutral zone. Hutson went into beast mode.

The effort didn't go to waste, because the next sequence was a thing of beauty. Laine and Newhook put on a playmaking clinic, with No. 15 scoring the tally. Laine now has two points in his return to the lineup. Not bad for a guy who has been ripped apart by the media.

I think that Larsson made a grave mistake bumping into Dobes, because it seems to have awoken the Habs. Slafkovsky, who is playing out of his freaking mind, made a beautiful fake to the left, before firing a laser wrister past Daccord. I'm at a loss for words, Slaf, you can play like this, just do it.

Just want to give Dobes his flowers, too, because he made a brilliant save at one end, and the Habs sprung into the other end, and grabbed the lead.

Hutson has his second assist of the game, his 47th, and 51st point of the season. Slafkovsky has 13 goals, and 26 assists for 39 points. Just 11 shy of his career-high (50) from 2023-23.

This game, the second period, specifically has been a rollercoaster - Montreal started on a low note, but they are strumming some beautiful melodies now.

Montreal to the power play, after Slafkovsky drew a call against Tolvanen. Hutson nearly put a gift on Slafkovsky's tape, that he just had to tap in. I say nearly, because Daccord stonewalled Slafkovsky.

Seattle killed off the penalty, but Montreal had a cluster of scoring chances, showing plenty of life.

Third Period

It was a relatively back and forth affair through the early stages, and that trend carried through much of the first eight minutes of the game.

Slafkovsky made a great effort to deflect a Jayden Struble point shot past Daccord, but his timid celebration was indicative of the situation. It was close to being a high stick, and the officials are taking their time to determine the call.

Much to the dismay of the Kraken's faithful, Slafkovsky's second goal of the game held up, and he now has 40 points. 14 goals, 26 assists for 40 points, and counting, of course. Suzuki drew an assist on the tally, his 69th point of the season, in his 63rd game.

The 10 minutes preceding the first 10 minutes have started with a bang, but not a great one. Xhekaj is headed to the box for hooking against Oleksiak. The Canadiens added the 4-2 insurance marker, but the game is far from over.

Xhekaj's third minor penalty of the game was a costly one, as Nyman scored his first NHL goal, cutting into the two-goal Kraken deficit. Seattle seems to have wrestled the momentum back from the Canadiens, and they are looking fast and furious.

With seven minutes left in regulation, Seattle leads 31-26 in the shot department, and the Habs are holding onto their one goal lead by the skin of their teeth. Dobes is drowning, and the penalty trouble, and spotty defensive coverage has made his job immensely more difficult than it needs to be. Which is already pretty difficult.

With under five minutes to play, the back and forth affair has wound down to a sure-to-be fantastic finish.

With 2:29 left in the game, after the Habs have weathered the Kraken's bid to tie the game, David Savard is headed to the sin bin for tripping against Andre Burakovsky.

After securing the faceoff win Dan Bylsma pulled his goaltender for a six on four advantage, and once again the Habs have shot themselves in the foot. Vince Dunn tied the game, and there is still 2:12 left to play.

Montreal battled hard to earn the point, but the second one shouldn't even be a discussion. This game, now headed to overtime, is the Canadiens to lose.

Overtime

Five seconds into the extra frame, Montreal won a faceoff, and watched Montour skate into their zone all alone, and he iced the game with a perfectly placed shot past Dobes. Montreal needed this win, and if this performance is what to expect from the team, then playoff talk is an absolute joke.

Awful performance overall, after getting dominated in periods one and two, then getting absolutely dunked on in overtime.

Dobes deserved much better, and thankfully the Habs road trip is over. They head home for a battle on Saturday night against the Florida Panthers, proving their is no rest at this point of the season.