Superman had kryptonite.  Wile E. Coyote had the Road Runner.  And the Montreal Canadiens have 3-on-3 overtime.  Once again, the bane of the Habs existence came back to bite them last night in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks. 

It seems almost cruel to acknowledge that the deciding factor of a game where the Canadiens were thoroughly the better team was the fourth period.  But as has already been discussed to death by fans and media alike the team once again looked uninspired, unimaginative and devoid of creativity with six skaters on the ice. 

Head coach Dominique Ducharme’s player usage could not have been the culprit last night.  There was no Ben Chiarot or Shea Weber at 3-on-3.  The coach threw out the players on the ice that, in theory, should have given him the best possible chance to win.  There were even a couple of shifts where three forwards were on the ice together, which should result in a greater emphasis on pushing the play offensively. Instead, the Habs who got on the ice in the extra frame looked tentative, lacking confidence and conviction.  Time and time again the Canadiens circled in the neutral zone, looking for an opening that still hasn’t appeared.  If one thing has become sadly clear with this team in the extra period is that there is a mental block, an absence of belief that the team will come out on the winning side of any game that doesn’t end in 60 minutes. 

The brain pretzel becomes more baffling when you consider the natural aggression the Canadiens played with the previous three periods.  Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s line showed the ability to physically dominate the boards in the offensive zone in a way no fan under the age of 30 has seen with much regularity.  Phillip Danault and Nick Suzuki’s trios turned the puck over multiple times either high in the Canucks zone or right at their blueline, creating odd man rushes and more zone time against tired Vancouver defenders.  In fact, to a man, it’s hard to find a forward who didn’t forecheck with purpose or a defenseman who was out of position for 59 minutes.  Sure, the Canucks had their moments.  But even when on their heels the Habs looked like they were on their way to a strangely convincing 1-0 win.  And then Adam Gaudette went bar down with a perfect shot with 40 seconds left in regulation.

Perhaps the most positive on a night filled with them was that there is now only one truly obvious glaring need on this team now, which is their performance in overtime.  Ducharme seems to have done enough to fix some of the other issues that plagued the group in the waning days of the previous administration.

The powerplay converted once again and didn’t kill the team’s momentum.  The penalty kill saved their bacon on a 5-on-3 in the first period that could have changed the entire complexion of the game.  Carey Price looked like whatever he has been doing with deputy goaltending coach Marco Marciano is paying off as, save for his first stop of the game, he was back to his fantastic best including two unreal saves in the third period and overtime.  So Ducharme now has just one thing to figure out.  Unfortunately, it is the one aspect of the game where coaching goes out the window. 

Such is the state of concern for what is going wrong post regulation that some journalists after the game asked the interim head coach why Tomas Tatar tried the old Marek Malik with the game on the line to extend the shootout.  As if Ducharme told the Slovakian to try a fancy finish to keep the game going.  In reality Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko was equal to Price on the night, making several smart and crucial saves to keep the Habs at bay.  Maybe Tatar just felt it was going to take something extra special to beat Demko.  But this is where we are with the Canadiens.  A self-fulfilling prophecy of panic in the crapshoot that is overtime and the shootout bleeding into questions about individual decisions in the skills contest. 

Based on the early track record of the powerplay, which has scored in four out of the six games since Ducharme took over, perhaps it will be up to assistant coach Alex Burrows to figure out what exactly this team needs to change in overtime.  For now, all Habs fans can do is pray that their team can take care of business in regulation. 

It’s almost unfair to harp on what the Canadiens didn’t do well for five minutes instead of what they did right for the previous 59. But unfair is exactly what the game was for the Habs last night.  It’s not what you deserve in the NHL but rather what the score sheet says.  And last night’s box score said that old haunts cost the team another valuable point in the standings.  The Canadiens are now 0-for-6 in the overtime and shootout.  Those six points could prove costly in the coming months.   

 

Player Ratings

Goaltender

Carey Price – 9/10

The highlight of the team’s night was their star goaltender looking back to his best.  Made the difficult look easy in regulation, the best of which was a slot shot save on Gaudette.  Made two spectacular saves, one cross crease late in the third and the other a spectacular glove desperation save on Boeser.  The question is can he string starts like that together. 

Defencemen

Shea Weber – 6/10

Best puck handling night we’ve seen from him in a while.  Didn’t do anything particularly egregious defensively or particularly well offensively.  Just a solid night.  No shots on goal though. 

Ben Chiarot – 7/10

Unfortunate that the half inch of space he gave to Gaudette ended in a game tying perfect shot late.  But other than that he had a rebound performance most have been expecting for a while.  His aggressiveness on the 5-on-3 was the main reason the Habs survived.  Much smarter with the puck on his stick.  Took care of his house well.

Jeff Petry – 8/10

He’s playing his way into the Norris trophy consideration at the half way point of the season.  Tied for the league lead in goals by a defenseman with 9 after his seeing eye shot on the powerplay.  Could have been more decisive in overtime.  But pushed and supported the attack all night long.  Led the team in ice time. 

Joel Edmundsson – 6/10

Like Weber, didn’t think he was bad and didn’t think he was great either.  His reading of when to activate and pinch has been really good since Ducharme took over.  Cleared the front of the net effectively. 

Alexander Romanov – 6/10

Would’ve liked to have seen him get a shot in overtime, especially with the constant struggles of the team in that department.  Walked the line well a few times to get a shot through.  Didn’t get a chance to be overly physical but played well in terms of positioning. Passing on point. 

Brett Kulak – 6/10

Only a matter of time before his nickname becomes the rover.  Loves to get down low in the offensive zone and clearly has the green light from the coaching staff to do so.  At his best when he’s aggressive like he was last night.  His pairing is due for a goal considering the pressure their overload puts on the opponent.

Forwards

Nick Suzuki – 6/10

Better once again from the sophomore centre.  Had a few almost plays where he could have been clean through for a big chance but just fumbled the puck at the last second.  Led the forwards in ice time but other lines had more effective zone time and chances.  Struggled on faceoffs again. 

Jonathan Drouin – 6/10

Really liked his commitment to backchecking last night, which is not something you probably would have expected anyone to say this season.  Got on his horse repeatedly to even up the numbers in transition the other way.  Never really had a moment offensively but did some solid work.  Needed more speed through the neutral zone at times but all in all he was good. 

Joel Armia – 6/10

Like his linemates good but just not good enough.  Muffed his shot on a breakaway that would have killed the game off for the Habs in the second.  Other than that no real offensive chances.  Solid on the penalty kill. 

Phillip Danault – 7/10

His first goal of the year is coming.  Clearly continued building confidence from his last game.  Great on the forecheck, he turned pucks over all over the ice.  Massive on the 5-on-3 penalty kill.  Needed that last half second of class to make his zone time count on the scoreboard.  But another positive outing.  Habs best faceoff man but only at 48 percent. 

Brendan Gallagher – 6/10

Part of the two-man screen that obstructed Demko on Petry’s goal.  Rating may seem harsh but none of his four shots on goal particularly troubled Demko.  But he was great at being implicated in the offensive zone, as he always is.  Ducharme’s aggressive style up ice fits him perfectly.

Tomas Tatar – 7/10

Looked dangerous each time he got a hold of the puck.  Primary assist on Petry’s goal was nice but he didn’t do much to deserve it.  When on at even strength though he seemed to consistently find the open man and kept things ticking in the offensive zone.  One shot in the slot was a sure goal if not for a huge Canucks block. 

Jesperi Kotkaniemi – 7/10

Made some questionable choices with the puck late on.  But he and his linemates absolutely dominated the boards in Vancouver’s zone.  Had a nice little tussle with Hoglander in the second and looked pretty assured defensively.  Looks set for an explosion once he gets his first goal with Toffoli and Anderson alongside him.  Led the team in hits for good measure.  Promising again. 

Tyler Toffoli – 7/10

Like Kotkaniemi made some boneheaded decisions with the puck at his own blueline.  But all the best chances for the Habs fell to him.  Somehow his shot bounced skyward over Demko and fell behind on to the post.  Had another slot shot to walk in to but was stopped by the Caunucks goaltender.  Unlucky night for him. 

Josh Anderson – 7/10

Led the team in shots on goal and looked threatening.  Stopped point blank by Demko on the powerplay.  After that couldn’t get any great looks but like his linemates was a beast in terms of controlling the puck in Vancouver’s zone.  Had the best chance in overtime on a top of the dot wrister but that says more about the lack of big chances in OT.  Not his best but still good. 

Jake Evans – 6/10

He played with a lot more intensity than we’ve seen of late.  Saw his ice-time drop significantly in the third.  Played his part on the penalty kill. Did all he could with just under 10 minutes of ice time. 

Paul Byron – 6/10

Cannot understand what he was supposed to do on his goaltender interference penalty.  Felt like it kind of took the wind out of his sails a bit.  Just a fraction of a second away from getting a great opportunity a few times.  Not enough chances to show off his speed. 

Corey Perry – 8/10

Made something happen every time he was on the ice.  And he only played just a hair over ten minutes.  Screened Demko on Petry’s powerplay goal.  Drove the net hard for Toffoli’s post chance.  Just another example of why he has to be in the lineup every game.  Pretty damn good from the old man.

Coaching

Dominique Ducharme – 8/10

Everything he’s worked on with the team seems to be improving.  Powerplay, penalty kill, forecheck, puck support, gap control.  It all looked good last night.  Even the goaltender is rebounding.  Not sure what he can do systematically at 3-on-3 but perhaps he can do something to break the mental fog that takes hold of the team in overtime.  More ice-time for Romanov and Kulak please.  Maybe should’ve seen some more Perry.  But all in all very good through six games for the new coach.  Team deserved a better fate on the night.