Montreal Canadiens & Vancouver Canucks face-off at Rogers Arena

The Montreal Canadiens continue their push for a wildcard spot, with a stop at the Rogers Centre in Vancouver, to battle the Canucks.

Tuesday morning, the team announced that Joshua Roy would make his return to the lineup, after he was called up on Monday. Owen Beck was sent down to the Laval Rocket in a subsequent move. And with Patrik Laine still dealing with a virus, Roy will draw into the Canadiens lineup.

Aside from Roy joining the Habs formation, there is one change to the lineup from the one that lost 1-0 to the Calgary Flames on Saturday night. Samuel Montembeault gets the nod between the pipes against the Canucks. Jakub Dobes will start on Wednesday against the Seattle Kraken - in a matchup between 2022 top-10 picks Juraj Slafkovsky and Shane Wright.

Wright, the Kraken fourth overall selection in the 2022 draft, is on his way to establishing himself as a top-six NHL centre. In 62 games with the Kraken, Wright has posted 15-23-28, but before this season he had just 16 total games under his belt. Slafkovsky, for comparison, has played 60 games, and has 11-24-35.

As frustrated as Wright may have been on draft day, the Canadiens made the right selection. Slafkovsky needs 15 additional points through the final 19 games to match his 50-point total from last year. The statistics say that Slafkovsky hasn't grown, but I don't agree, I think he just needs to improve on his consistency.

I expect a big game from Slafkovsky, who has a great opportunity to show out and help the Habs in their pursuit of a playoff berth. With a cluster of teams battling it out for the second wildcard spot, the Canadiens need to play hungry. The Canucks are going to be gunning hard on home ice, they find themselves one point out of the final wildcard in the west, before any game action Tuesday night.

Onto the game

The game was a minute and six seconds old, and Cole Caufield made a great pass to captain Nick Suzuki, who scored a beauty on Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen. Juraj Slafkovsky pressured the puck carrier, and forced a turnover, and passed the puck to Caufield. Caufield made a nice saucer pass to Suzuki, who scored an almost [Pavel] Datsyukian-like goal.

The Canadiens top line, thankfully has been able to power the Habs offense, because the second line has really not done much to help. Caufield (31 goals), Suzuki (20) and Slafkovsky (11) account for much of the teams scoring. So, the changes to the lineup, configuration-wise, will hopefully pay off for the team.

Alex Newhook has been moved to centre, with Joshua Roy and Brendan Gallagher flanking him on the wings. Roy, for my money, could be the catalyst for this line, that has a little bit of everything, minus physically-intimidating presences. They are fast, gritty and see the ice well, less is more is the name of the game for No. 11 and 15, but Roy will hurt opponents with his shot, puck skills and smart defensive play.

Slafkovsky received a touch pass from Suzuki, and flew into the offensive zone, and I screamed at the television for him to shoot. He sure did that, sniping it past the Finnish goaltender, Lankinen. Slafkovsky has 12 goals, and a two-point game, just before the nine-minute mark of the first period.

Slafkovsky is up to 37 points, 12 goals and 25 assists, with two periods left in his 61st game of the season. He is 13 points short of matching last year's total (50), which he achieved over 82 games. Slafkovsky missed a couple of games this year, so he is on pace to play 79 games, leaving him 18 games to try and tie his career-high.

The referees missed a clear penalty, when a Canuck backcheck slashed Lane Hutson hard enough to break his (own) stick, and knock Hutson's glove off. But the whistles remained holstered.

Canucks winger Dakota Joshua put a puck past Samuel Montembeault, that the officials determined to not be a goal. I won't argue it, but I think Vancouver got shafted on that one.

Josh Anderson entered the offensive zone with a partial breakaway, and the whistle was blown, but he still made a move to the backhand, and shot on Lankinen. Much to the chagrin of Jake Debrusk, who approached Anderson and got an aggressive response from No. 17.

Emil Heineman hit Jake Evans with one of the prettiest passes I have seen, clearing two sticks before hitting Evans tape perfectly. Evans had a brilliant opportunity but just put his attempt wide. Heineman has ridiculous potential, the fact that he is developing on the fourth line, gives me tremendous hope for his top six aspirations next season.

The siren sounds, and the Canadiens have a two-goal advantage after 20 minutes. Shots are 11-7 in the Canucks favour.

Second Period

Hutson did his best waterbug imitation, and found his way into the middle of the neutral zone, before hitting Suzuki with a pass. Suzuki found Caufield on the halfwall, and Caufield just missed wide on the wrist shot attempt.

A few moments later Evans made a great pass to Heineman, who got robbed by Lankinen on a one-touch shot.

The period's first four minutes have came and gone, and the score remains 2-0, with the Canucks holding the shot edge, 13-8.

I have to say that it looks like Slafkovsky is thinking the game clearer, and his vision is opening up opportunities all over the ice. But his neutral zone play especially has impressed me. He strikes quick, with no hesitation, and there is so much purpose with each move he makes.

Slafkovsky and the Habs are off to the power play, after Marcus Pettersson received a minor penalty for slashing. It was going well, but Slafkovsky took an interference penalty, after the Habs struggled to do anything cohesive through 1:28 of their man advantage.

Evans made a rare mistake, lackadaisically exiting the defensive zone, luckily the Canucks were unable to capitalize. Despite the Canucks having the five on four advantage, the Canadiens collected themselves, and exited the puck out of the zone.

Both penalties ended in the same result, with no blemishes to each teams respective penalty kill.

Just after the penalty expired Caufield and Suzuki broke into the zone, after a Canucks defensive breakdown (Tyler Myers, bad pass). This went exactly as you would think it would go, Suzuki saucered a pass to Caufield. Caufield fired his 32nd goal of the season past Lankinen. Slafkovsky has his third point of the night (38th point of the year, if you're counting).

The Canadiens' top line has been exactly that, the top dogs for the Habs offense. What a night for 20-year-old Slafkovsky. He is 12 shy of matching his 2023-24 total.

Josh Anderson's penalty marks the Habs' second of the game, after he was penalized for interference against Elias Pettersson. Pettersson ripped Evans' stick out of his hands, and for some reason there was no call on the play.

A furious David Savard wrestled Kiefer Sherwood to the ice, after the Canucks forward got a little too close to Montembeault for his comfort.

Montembeault is dialed in, turning aside 21 Canucks shot to this point (5:36 remaining in the second period). Lankinen, meanwhile, has surrendered three goals on 12 shots. No. 35 has been the difference for the Canadiens, who have given Montembeault plenty of goal support.

I'm not sure what it is, but it's uncanny how often Mike Matheson gets the puck at the blueline and bobbles it, allowing the puck to exit the zone. Just as I was finishing typing, Matheson fired a wrist shot at Caufield.

Jayden Struble hasn't registered any points, but he has fit perfectly with Hutson, forming a well-rounded defence pair. Struble has played 10:37, recorded a shot and two hits, and been the perfect compliment to Hutson.

Chalk up Hutson scoring a point in the third period. I know I am being selfish, it's 3-0, but Hutson's next is his 50th of the season, Anyway, it's 3-0 after 40 minutes.

Third Period

I can't take my eyes off the white jerseys when the first line is on the ice, they are flying tonight. I also notice how much Suzuki has helped Caufield and Slafkovsky grow their games defensively. Very impressive showing by this line.

The Canucks caused a little bit of confusion, and forced a turnover in Montreal's zone. Vancouver worked the puck to the blueline, and with a screen erected in front of Montembeault, Filip Hronek scores a shot from the point.

However, Martin St. Louis called a timeout just after the goal was scored, before the arena announcer made the goal announcement. But, the goal remained and Marty decided against challenging the play.

Once again the Habs top line is all over the Canucks, hemming them in their zone, and putting on a passing clinic. Slafkovsky playing closer to his potential opens up so much for the Canadiens. I think it should be apparent to fans across the league, at this point, why Slafkovsky went first overall.

There are only a handful of players in the NHL, who have the physical attributes, skating and skill that Slafkovsky has in one package. Each team that does is more than pleased with the player, and unlikely to trade that player. Slafkovsky might not be a number one centre, or top line sniper, but he is a first line talent, who is going to be scary in his prime.

Its easy to forget that he is the one of the youngest players from the '22 draft.

Rogers arena was treated to what the youngest Canadiens players are capable of. Joshua Roy almost scored on a great sequence by his line. Then a few moments later, Hutson rushed the puck up the ice, showing his brilliant transition skills. He lifted the defender's stick, before burying a shot into Lankinen's chest.

Montreal is back to the penalty kill. David Savard is off for slashing Pius Suter. Jake Debrusk, who has been particularly strong on the power play, strikes. 3-2 Canadiens now.

Vancouver is pressing hard for the tying marker, and Josh Anderson just about regained the two-goal lead. Just missing a chance created by a great individual effort.

Slafkovsky was inches away from scoring his second goal of the night, after Hutson made a great pass to him, after faking out his defender. Then Caufield had a gaping cage, but the Canucks defender cleared the puck out of harms way.

With under two minutes on the clock, Lankinen is on the bench, and the Canucks have six players on the ice, in a bid to tie the game.

Evans had a clear shot at the open net, but instead made the safe play to clear the puck and make a line change. 55.4 seconds remain.

He got the puck again, and did the same thing, just getting the puck out of his zone. Matheson, however, collected the puck collected the puck and fired it into the Canucks net. 4-2 Montreal, a hard fought win for the Habs, who are right in the thick of the battle for a wildcard spot.

Two wiley veterans, Gallagher and Derek Forbort got into a little kerfuffle with less than five seconds left in the game.

Three stars

First star: Juraj Slafkovsky: one goal, two assists

Second star: Cole Caufield: one goal, one assist

Third star: Nick Suzuki: one goal, one assist