Very little rest for the Montreal Canadiens to start the season with three games in four nights and four in six nights. Heading into game three at home against Ottawa, the Canadiens needed to clean up their defence. They were exploited for almost 50 shots in game one, and six goals in game two.
The Canadiens did allowing only 25 shots and one goal in a well-earned win over the Senators 4-1.
Wilde Horses
When Lane Hutson is on the rush, he has a lateral move that creates 10 feet of distance between him and his checker. It’s remarkable to see a checker so close that he must feel good about his chances, then suddenly discover he is nowhere near Hutson.
There are also moments where Hutson does a series of feints that leaves the checker doing 360s in almost embarrassing frustration, until he finally gives up. Hutson hasn’t even played a half-dozen games in the NHL, and he is already the best player on the ice on many shifts.
Canadiens Head Coach Martin St. Louis sees it too. This is no apprenticeship apparently where the head coach works the rookie in slowly and uses caution to make sure he isn’t in over his head. Hutson has the second most ice time on the team behind only Mike Matheson, who is one of the most used players in the entire league.
It’s not as if Hutson is struggling on defence either. What is most notable is that this small player never looks small. He is not smashed by giants on the ice. He is not weak in battles for strength, because he doesn’t get in any battles.
On defence, Hutson has such outstanding vision and quick decision making that on almost every occasion defensively he makes his play before a checker ever arrives. If he has ice in front of him, he uses it. If he has no time, he works quickly. He doesn’t get exposed, because he doesn’t allow time and space to be against him.
It is remarkable that Hutson was taken 62nd overall. It was all about size, of course, but it is extremely difficult to find moments where he does not have enough size. All the best scouts in the world got it wrong.
The leading goal scorer so far this season is Cole Caufield who is off to an outstanding start in his now number 13 with four goals in three games.
Caufield’s first period marker was picture-perfect. It was a sniper’s goal. Only a player who knows where the net is even without looking and can pick his spot, can count when he did.
Caufield took advantage of the modern goaltending technique of the reverse VH. The design of the RVH is when a player gets close enough, the goalie drops into a position leaving only the smallest margin open in the top corner over his shoulder.
From 15 to 20 feet, Caufield sniped it right into that smallest of gaps for an absolute beauty to put the Canadiens up two after one.
The other first period goal was a Hutson creation as he won the blue line on the power play. It was then picked up in the corner by Christian Dvorak who found Emil Heineman alone in the slot for his first NHL goal. Heineman snapped it as soon as he got it.
One of many gorgeous plays in the first, but the period actually turned on a hard working shift by the Jake Evans line. Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher worked their tales off in front of the net, took body blows, and finally drew a penalty.
Ottawa had controlled the game up until that moment. A better work rate changed the tenor of the evening.
More Hutson magic in the third period. It’s difficult to believe that he has played only five NHL games. He dominated an entire shift before finally setting up Alex Newhook for his first goal of the season. The puck seemed to follow Hutson around. He would not be denied.
Another aspect of the Hutson magic is he patterns his game around duplicity. A cheeky little play in the third period was another example as he had forecheckers coming at him while he was set up behind the net. He faked a hard pass to the right. The forecheckers went right, and he calmly carried out easily to the left.
Montreal added to its lead with Nick Suzuki’s first point of the season. He was freed on a breakaway by Caufield. Suzuki’s shot was stopped, but Caufield followed it up for the tap in. Everything going right for Caufield so far this season.
Oh and by the way, Samuel Montembeault went 105 minutes and 30 seconds before allowing a goal this season. He has allowed only one in his first 73 shots. Not bad, Hockey Canada. Not bad at all.
Wilde Goats
The Canadiens started the season against three teams who oddsmakers predicted to make the playoffs. They are 2-1 after those three games. No need to fill this space yet with four points in the bank of six. The Pittsburgh Penguins are in town Monday.
Wilde Cards
The Canadiens just might have a third-pair problem. St. Louis has already begun cutting down the ice time of Justin Barron and Arber Xhrkaj.
The organization is in a difficult place. They may have better defenders, but they haven’t used them yet.
The biggest issue is Barron had not performed well enough in his first two games to be ahead of Logan Mailloux, but Barron has to go through the waiver wire, if he is sent down to bring up Mailloux.
Early returns are that Barron got turnstiled for the winning goal against Boston, while Mailloux put on a show for Laval scoring twice and assisting on another two in a 5-2 win over Providence Friday night. This is acceptable in the short term, but in the long term, Barron must be better. Thankfully, he was in game three.
The organization is tired of losing. They want to show this rebuild is taking positive steps. A moment may come soon that they are forced to sacrifice Barron. It’s easy to say trade him, but they won’t get a satisfactory return when he hasn’t shown a consistent NHL-ready game.
Defencemen require patience to develop, but the rubber also meets the road. Barron may get a longer runway with another club who can afford the mistakes at the NHL level in hopes that he improves his game through repetition.
That’s a team like San Jose as an example. However, the Sharks are waiting for a waiver-wire freebie; not a loss of a draft pick. Montreal is in a difficult spot that gets more difficult if Mailloux continues to dominate American Hockey League competition.
On the left side of the third pair, a different problem persists. The club wants Xhekaj’s toughness and pugilistic power, but not at the expense of goals against. Xhekaj has to put up better defensive numbers.
Right now, he is in the line-up because Jayden Struble is dealing with injury, but on those nights that the club would like extra toughness, they can’t sacrifice defence in return.
For now, it’s early. If the club is out of the mix, there is no urgency. If they are in the mix, they may have to transfer out Barron and Xhekaj.
For Barron, it would mean a true loss on the trade that saw Artturi Lehkonen leave. For Xhekaj, it would mean more seasoning in Laval.
It will be interesting, and no one should be confident they can predict how this is going to go. It’s a total coin flip at the moment.
The obvious positive is that there are two capable players ready to improve the third pair of the club. Struble was the best defender in camp, and Mailloux looks too good for the AHL showing his ceiling has not been yet reached.
Not sure we can say this equally about Barron and Xhekaj’s ceiling, though every prospect, especially blue liners, should be given five years before anyone renders a verdict.
And therein lies the crux, the Canadiens don’t have five years. They are not sure they have five weeks. Stay tuned. This one is shaping up to be interesting very soon. It truly is four blue liners for two spots.
Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.