Call of the Wilde: Boston Bruins dominate Montreal Canadiens

It’s always a bit of a stretch to suggest a game in December is vitally important, but if you’re inclined to say so, say it about this contest at the Bell Centre. The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Boston Bruins, with only one point separating the two teams in the standings.

The winner Monday night would hold fourth spot in the Atlantic Division; the loser would feel the the wild card teams closing in.

Unfortunately, it was not the night for the Habs, as Boston notched a 4-0 victory over the Canadiens.

READ MORE: Call of the Wilde  — Montreal Canadiens dump the Ottawa Senators

Wilde Horses 

• Jeff Petry has benefitted the most from the return of Shea Weber. Without having to rack up a troubling number of minutes — topping out at around 30 — Petry is a much better player. He doesn’t fatigue, and therefore his decision-making is better. Petry looks to be skating so fluidly right now. He is also winning, with courage, a lot of puck battles. It’s been said a lot recently that four doesn’t fit into three on the right side blue line and something would likely happen to Petry when Josh Brook arrived. But if Brook can play the left side, four of the Habs’ six rearguards would be Weber, Brook, Petry and Noah Juulsen. The expectation is Victor Mete will find his game so that leaves only one hole on the blue line, and Mike Reilly is so close to figuring it all out. The defence may not be as far out as it seemed a month ago. To be continued — it should be compelling.

WATCH: Young hockey players live out a dream on Bell Centre ice

2:08 Young hockey players live out a dream on Bell Centre ice

Wilde Goats

• The first goal of a game is always so crucial. There aren’t a lot of comebacks in hockey, statistically speaking, so the Habs put themselves in a bind early with a brutal giveaway from Michael Chaput. The puck was on Chaput’s stick and he was skating out of the zone with it, but somehow he didn’t see the white sweater with black-and-gold trim. It was the perfect pass and it was an easy goal within two seconds for the Bruins’ Joakim Nordstrom. Chaput has been steady and the fourth line has certainly not been a liability for the past month, but it was a killer only four minutes into the game.

READ MORE: Call of the Wilde  — Montreal Canadiens lose to the Carolina Hurricanes

• Every game there is a mention of it, and every game it deserves a mention: the Habs’ power play is an enigma. The hope was that adding a weapon like Weber’s shot would make a difference, but if anything, the power play has gotten worse. It is one for 30 since Weber’s return, as the club tries to set him up too much and the other teams take his shot away as their primary objective. The power play has been blanked 25 times in a row. If you’re not aware, an excellent power play runs at around 20 per cent. With the extra man, the Habs have recently been running at less than four per cent. What’s it going to take to get them out of this funk? Probably a five-on-three — make that a five-on-three where one of the defenceman breaks his stick. Maybe two defencemen. To be serious: some suggestions are traffic in front, shots from the point that get on target with everyone attacking the net for the rebound, movement of players, more effort in terms of puck battling, Jesperi Kotkaniemi on the half wall and Weber as a decoy. The best suggestion of all of those is simply shooting and then having the forwards charge the net for rebounds. The Habs’ power play is far too much on the perimeter. It seems so simple, but traffic around the goalie is so key: bodies around the net for screens and deflections and rebounds. Everyone shooting from 35 feet with the goalie having a full view of the puck is not a formula for success in today’s NHL.

WATCH: Back-to-back wins over the Sens

3:38 Call of the Wilde: Back-to-back wins over the Sens

• You’re down 4-0. You have done nothing right all night. There are 13 minutes left in the game. It’s time to experiment. You, as a coach, have nothing to lose. Try something that might have been on your mind: it would be the perfect time to see if Kotkaniemi could look good on the second line with Tomas Tatar and Brendan Gallagher, see if there is a spark. It would have been a good idea for Claude Julien to see that line in action when nothing was working. It’s not like it’s going to hurt the kid’s development; he would still be sheltered. It’s not like he would be exposed if it didn’t work in the 15 minutes that you tried it.
• There were so few who shone for the Habs tonight. The club was skating as if they had no life in their legs at all. They were second on pucks and couldn’t win any battles. They had only two good shifts in the first 40 minutes of the game. It was their worst effort in a long time, and the Habs deserved the 4-0 defeat. There are nights like this in a long season. Some nights, a team just doesn’t have its game collectively. The best thing the Habs can do is move on to the next one and not get too down because there are 82 games and the Habs are in a pretty good position to make the playoffs as Christmas approaches. No one thought that was possible so the Habs need to keep their confidence up, get on the plane to Denver and get physically and emotionally ready for the toughest stretch of the season knowing that if they make it through this stretch still in a playoff position in the standings then they are a good bet to actually make those playoffs. One game of 82, and they’re all worth only two points; next team up.

READ MORE: Call of the Wilde  — Montreal Canadiens dominate the Ottawa Senators

Wilde Cards 

• There is excellent news for Habs fans when it comes to the World Junior Championships preparation. The Canadian team appears to have big plans for two Habs players. Josh Brook, who some said was on the bubble for the event, appears to be on the first pair after being arguably the best defender during the first week of camp. As the camp moves into the second phase, Brook is with Noah Dobson. The two of them will log a lot of ice time. Brook is being asked to play the left side, which is unnatural for him. However, he has played on the left side for Moose Jaw since the beginning of November. If he were to adapt and get comfortable there, it would be an absolutely massive win for the Habs, who need help on the left desperately while being already set on the right side with Weber, Petry and Juulsen. There was more positive news for the Habs surrounding Nick Suzuki as well. Suzuki has played mostly as a right winger in his junior career, but recently he moved into the centre position. That’s where he found himself at practice Monday. Suzuki is between Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Alexis Lafreniere on the second line. It appears Suzuki is set for a big role. Even though he lines up more as a sniper winger for his future, the Habs will be thrilled to see him being utilized a lot. Suzuki was a late cut last year at the World Juniors. It appears the Habs will have seven players at the tournament, which starts on Boxing Day in Vancouver.

WATCH: Call of the Wilde: Wins and Losses

4:19 Call of the Wilde: Wins and Losses