With three straight loses, Head Coach Martin St. Louis said that the club is fragile at the moment. They needed to turn it around in Detroit and Montreal put in a solid effort, winning in overtime 3-2.
Wilde Horses
The head coach overhauled the lines to try to shake things up after a poor week, and a struggle for three games. Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield were finally broken up in an effort to spread out some of the offence. The experiment worked well as the only line to struggle Corsi-wise was the third line that didn’t change. Sean Monahan’s line with Brendan Gallagher and Tanner Pearson had a rare poor puck-share on the night.
The two lines that changed played quite well overall. Suzuki was lined up with Josh Anderson and Alex Newhook. That was the Canadiens best line. Newhook made a terrific pass, entering the zone with huge speed, to set up Mike Matheson for a first-period marker.
In the second period, Anderson had yet another breakaway that he was unable to convert, still looking for his first goal of the season. All three played some of their best hockey of the year. Suzuki’s ability to win the zone compliments Newhook’s speed as both in full flight backs off the defence, giving the Canadiens possession inside the zone quickly, rather than dumping and chasing.
In the third period, it was Matheson with the pass to Suzuki who used a well-crafted screen by Monahan to beat James Reimer. Matheson, after struggling for a week, played a much more sound contest. He could be playing with an injury. His outstanding play went south rather suddenly. He bounced back beautifully in this one.
The second line was Christian Dvorak, with Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield. This is where the team missed Kirby Dac who is gone for the season with a knee injury. However, Dvorak didn’t do badly as the line had a respectable night.
Slafkovsky had a high-danger scoring chance. Only his second of the entire season. Caufield carried the puck best for the line. Caufield can elevate the players with whom he is lined up. Slafkovsky was stapled to the bench though in the final five minutes as the head coach shortened his bench. Caufield’s amazing shot to the top corner for the winner in overtime was a power play marker.
What’s interesting about the club right now is they have three forwards that can drive lines effectively: Monahan, Suzuki, and Caufield. Of the three, Monahan may be the best forward on the team this season. They’re seriously missing a fourth player who can drive a line in Dach. His presence would change so much.
Instinctively, Dvorak with Slafkovsky and Caufield didn’t feel like a top line. Imagine Dach there and suddenly it would feel as if both of his wingers had a real chance to get on the score sheet each night.
One can lament that all season long, but the better plan is to keep growing and learning with the talent that the club has. So far, it’s a respectable season. It’s not a playoff spot, but it’s a respectable season on the way to 82 points if extrapolated.
That is acceptable when one of the top players is lost in the first week of the year.
Wilde Goats
After turning the puck over a lot, and playing quite indisciplined for the last week, it was clear in the post-game news conference after the Tampa Bay game that Martin St. Louis wanted to see a tighter Montreal team. He got what he wanted.
The Canadiens cut their mistakes down by a large margin against the Red Wings who had a difficult time creating any offence. Montreal made it a relatively easy night for Cayden Primeau in only his second start of the season. Detroit created very few high-danger chances. Primeau did make an outstanding overtime save to preserve the contest stopping Alex Debrincat.
Wilde Cards
When the Canadiens took Lane Hutson 62nd overall, there was initially quite a lot of concern over his height, or lack of it. He was listed at 5 foot 8 inches. However, Hutson said doctors told him his bones were young and he had a growth spurt still left in him. He even brought a doctor’s note to draft interviews informing general managers of this.
This was met with some derision, and certainly no one was really convinced that doctors have any idea whether Hutson was finished growing at the age of 17 or not. Turns out the doctors were right, and Hutson is not the tiny boy he once was.
The latest is that Hutson is now five-foot 10-inches tall. This measurement is from his college at Boston University, and the simple truth is those numbers are not always reliable. However, it might just be the case that Hutson has grown a full two inches in a year.
There is a recent photo taken from ice level at Boston University where Hutson is standing right beside Macklin Celebrini who is the consensus pick for number one in this upcoming draft. Celebrini is listed at six-foot exactly. On the other side of the post-goal celebration is Jeremy Willmer who is listed at five-foot, eight inches.
Hutson looks nearly identical in height to Celebrini, and he towers over Willmer. It might just be that Hutson is six-foot, 11 inches now.
Why is this all so important? Because there are very few success stories of tiny defenders in the National Hockey League. Torey Krug comes to mind quickly, but after that, it’s a google search of not exactly a hockey legend who’s who.
Hutson at five-foot 10 inches can now fill out physically and not be pushed off the puck easily in the defensive zone. It makes him a much more valuable piece in the rebuild.
There is no question whatsoever that Hutson is an offensive unicorn. He is breaking NCAA records set in the 1980s by Brian Leetch. If he can, add a defensive strength as well, then he goes from a five-six defender utilized primarily on the power play and in three-on-three overtime situations, to a one-two defender used in all situations.
The Canadiens rebuild has had little bonuses on defence for the last two years: four rookies broke in in 2022 and all found success, add Justin Barron to the breakthrough category in 2023, David Reinbacher had a terrific first camp, and this continued excellent development from Hutson.
The next phase, it is hoped, is for some good surprises on offence that need to come soon. Nothing has come through to the big upside yet on the offensive side of the puck. This year’s first round draft pick absolutely has to be a sure thing to add to the top six.
The rebuild is coming along quite nicely, but a surefire top-six forward is needed still before anyone can claim the job is done.
Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.