The Montreal Canadiens were in a penalty-filled affair for the second consecutive game, losing 4-3 to the Ottawa Senators at the Bell Centre.
After losing David Reinbacher and Patrik Laine on Saturday, the revamped Canadiens lineup almost lost Kirby Dach (again) when Ridley Greig went headhunting. Instead, he departed and returned to tally the game’s second goal.
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However, Arber Xhekaj didn’t do his team any favors for the second time in a matter of days, getting thrown out of the game after a major penalty. Even though he had good intentions of standing up for a teammate, he put his team shorthanded, and the Senators tallied three straight goals on the man advantage.
It was the night’s turning point, but there were a few other talking points. Let’s get into the takeaways.
Canadiens Power Play Remains Goalless
The Canadiens have one pre-season game left on the schedule, a rematch with the pesky Senators on Saturday night. It’s their last chance to score a power play goal before the games start to matter.
After five games, Montreal is 0-for-25 on the power play, now led by head coach Martin St-Louis. They’ve lost three consecutive one-goal games after pitching back-to-back shutouts in the first two pre-season games.
These penalty-filled contests could have gone either way, but without a timely goal on the power play, the Canadiens risk ending the pre-season with no special teams goals, a bad omen to start the regular season.
Cayden Primeau Hung Out in Defeat
Anyone who checks the box score will see that Canadiens netminder Cayden Primeau finished the game with a .750 SV%, a terrible statistic for an NHL backup. However, he was never beaten at even strength.
Instead, Montreal handed the Senators nine power-play opportunities, which led to all four goals. They always say that a team’s goalie has to be the best penalty-killer, but there’s only so much he can do when the team in front of him is playing shorthanded for a good portion of the game.
The Canadiens shut down an NHL-caliber lineup, limiting them to 16 shots over 60 minutes. Of course, Primeau needed to make timely saves in those shorthanded situations, but he got beat clean on several snipes, so the blame for tonight’s loss can not be placed squarely on his shoulders.
Tale of Two Teams
Before Xhekaj got ejected, the Canadiens had a comfortable 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Jake Evans and Dach. Moreover, after two periods, the home team led in shots 21-13 after building up a 6-2 advantage after the first.
The game went smoothly until Dach got hit, and everything changed. Instead of staying focused on the task at hand, the Canadiens began seeking body checks and a chance to get some lumber on the wrists or shins.
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Once Ottawa scored on the five-minute power play, the wheels began to fall off, and before the middle frame was over, the visitors had sucked the life out of the building while grabbing a 3-2 lead.
Montreal never gave up and kept creating chances, bringing the contest back to one goal when Oliver Kapanen scored at 13:56. But it never had to get to that point had they not taken their eyes off the scoreboard and attempted to settle scores on the ice instead of in the win column.
A Healthy Dach Will Be Crucial to Canadiens’ Future Successes
After watching two key players depart the game on Saturday, it was almost deja vu on Tuesday when Dach went down after a high hit. However, the 6-foot-4 center returned after a brief stop in the dressing room and scored the game’s second goal.
On top of collecting 17 penalty minutes, he led the team in shots on goals with six and settled his only battle by throwing down with Greig, who hit him earlier.
Montreal missed his offensive contributions and presence on the ice last season. Now that he’s healthy, scoring, and sticking up for himself, he changes the dynamics of the Canadiens’ offensive attack.
Even though Laine came to town to score some goals and be a boost, the hole in the lineup is just the opportunity Dach needs to show the fanbase that he’s ready to take his game to the next level. Tuesday night was only a glimpse of the on-ice leader he could be.
The Canadiens wrap up their pre-season schedule on Saturday night in the nation’s capital against the Senators.
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