It had a chance to be a historic night. The Montreal Canadiens could make the playoffs for the first time since 2021 in a contest that welcomed the most highly-touted prospect to wear the CH this century. It was the debut of the consensus best player to not be in the NHL, Ivan Demidov.
If one polled the fans of which of the two they were more excited for, it might be close. Demidov is extremely popular, and all eyes would be on him, but if Montreal didn’t beat the Chicago Blackhawks, that would be the focus for two nervous days leading to the season finale.
Sadly, the Canadiens were not able to get it done, losing in a shootout 4-3. The playoffs will have to wait.
Wilde Horses
Ivan Demidov’s first touch in the NHL was hockey gold.
Demidov didn’t touch the puck on his first shift, but when it finally came to him, did he make it work. Demidov took the puck on the half-wall, beat a man there, then moved toward the net where he executed an inside-out move on the defenceman. He was then beside the net where he spotted Alex Newhook who swept home his 15th goal of the season.
After the celebration on the ice, the scoreboard focused on Demidov. He heard his name called. He heard the roar. He saw them all standing. He smiled broadly and said, “Holy f—.” It was a magical moment.
Not two shifts later, he added to a story that could have left you speechless. Mike Matheson made a simple dump-in. Demidov skated so quickly to it that no one was in the same area code. He picked it up right in front of the net. Cleverly, he faked shot. That froze the goalie. He did an inside-out with his stick that left Arvid Soderblom soundly beaten. It was Demidov’s first goal in his first period in the NHL.
The Bell Centre was a beating heart.
Late in the first period, Demidov had another shift in the offensive zone where it seemed that he was not containable. The moves were too fast. The thinking too smart. The shot too quick in release. The Blackhawks were playing well, and they seemed prepared for everything, but they weren’t prepared for this.
Demidov was accomplishing this in a big game with the playoffs on the line, and, in that moment, it was easy to focus on that task. However, the bigger picture here is the joy of hockey. It’s the love to watch the game played beautifully that keeps us coming back. We may believe on such an important night that it’s the win or the loss that counts, but it is the joy.
Demidov is going to bring great joy for many years.
By the second period, it was clear that Demidov had the ability to create on every touch of the puck. His ability to stop and start, and change directions, left his opponents looking for answers. His anticipation of the next moment was Kreskin-like and Gretzky-like.
He came as highly touted as anyone to join the league in the last decade, and he was even more than that hype.
It was interesting to note that Demidov seemed to inspire another high draft pick for the Canadiens. It was Juraj Slafkovsky’s best game in a month. Slafkovsky was a bull with the puck. He made strong plays. He got his shot off quickly. He was the best member of his line. That has not been said often this season, playing with the top-two scorers on the team Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. Slafkovsky scored the tying goal.
Demidov also seemed to bring out the best in Alex Newhook. Demidov’s centre for this contest was flying. Newhook also seemed to gain some confidence that he too could hold on to the puck effectively to make plays. Newhook is discovering that he can do more at this level than he presumed.
There were outstanding performances. However, there were not enough of them.
Wilde Goats
In this most important game, to lock up a playoff spot, it is difficult to report the truth that the Canadiens were second on the puck all night. They had a difficult time containing the Blackhawks.
Chicago’s offence has some strong players like Connor Bedard, Ryan Donato, Teuvo Teravainen, Frank Nazar, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Oliver Moore. This is an outstanding list of offensive hockey players, and when they get a chance to play in the opponent’s zone, they look formidable.
The Canadiens had fits keeping the Hawks at bay. Chicago isn’t in second last in the league because of this list of forwards.
It’s Chicago’s defence that needs work, but the Canadiens couldn’t get any real pressure on the cycle for large portions of the night. That was their undoing. They had to defend often. They didn’t make that poor group of six defend. It could have been kind of an embarrassing night if not for Samuel Montembeault, who made many tremendous saves.
As a result, the season’s script is going to its 82nd and final chapter with it all on the line. The Carolina Hurricanes are the Canadiens’ final chance on Wednesday night unless Montreal gets help from the Philadelphia Flyers, who host the Columbus Blue Jackets Tuesday in Philadelphia.
Wilde Cards
One element of Martin St. Louis’ tenure at head coach that doesn’t get enough attention is how he has been the perfect coach for new players to arrive and excel in the hotbed of Montreal.
Through the years, the Canadiens have been one of the most traditional franchises in all of sports. This isn’t only in terms of retired jerseys and opening ceremonies, but also in the way that they have viewed the path to winning.
There has always been a hard worn path where hierarchy is king. Even when the player was Guy Lafleur, there was a long road to travel first before ultimate acceptance and excellence. When the player was PK Subban, the cautious approach was even more pronounced.
It was such a cautious franchise under Michel Therrien and Claude Julien that the overtime started with defensive players on the ice. This is, of course, completely illogical considering that they don’t take the one point earned already away should you lose the contest. The only logical strategy is put the best players out and go win the extra point available.
Imagine the last three years with Therrien as head coach. He was a coach who would always punish for a mistake with a loss of ice time and sometimes a roster spot. Never would a player growing his game in his first or second season be forgiven for errors.
One occasion, Subban made an error at the Avalanche blue line in Denver that cost a goal. Therrien, famously, called only Subban out on the play, even though there were three other errors from three other players in the final 140 feet after that turnover that had nothing to do with Subban.
The tradition on the franchise under Therrien, under Marc Bergevin, was call out the errors and punish the player. This only served to create more anxiety, and a loss of confidence.
That was never going to work on the Canadiens in 2022 when this entire project started all over again with so many green players needing a long leash.
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St. Louis has embraced the errors that happen during the process of learning.
The best example is the development of Lane Hutson. Early in the season, he was on for many goals against. He was learning what he could do or not do right in the heart of the line-up. The losses were piling up. The mistakes, too.
St. Louis kept on teaching, and he kept on using the player in all situations. In fact, he assessed that Hutson was better on the first power play and moved him there and Mike Matheson on to the second unit. This would have never happened under the previous regime.
The patience with Hutson is the biggest reason that this club is well ahead of its rebuild plan at 39 months. St. Louis knows how to teach with the long curve in mind, instead of just the night in front of him.
That’s why it is exciting to watch his first moves with Ivan Demidov. The game against the Blackhawks was the biggest game of the year; a playoff spot hung in the balance for Montreal. It would have been easy to get cautious, to not want change.
St. Louis embraced the same philosophy that he has all season. He did not blink. Demidov not only got ice time with Alex Newhook and Joel Armia, he also got a chance on the second power play unit.
No matter what the scenario, whether he is working with rejuvenating veterans to rewrite their careers, or rookies that he is patient to watch their errors and eliminate them, St. Louis is the man for this job.
He should get a Jack Adams nomination as league’s best coach. The Canadiens were predicted to have 76 points this season by Vegas bettors. They were predicted to be the fifth-worst team in the league again this year.
Vegas got even more comfortable with that prediction when Patrik Laine was seriously injured in the pre-season. St. Louis wasn’t bothered. He wasn’t bothered when critics mentioned that he was previously a pee-wee coach.
He is a perfect example of knowing your own intelligence, acting on it, staying the course in belief, finding the high ground no matter what, and rising to levels few thought you could.
He is an impressive human being. He is an impressive coach. The players have the greatest respect for him, and, as a result, they play for each other in the spirit of his message.
St. Louis won’t win the coach of the year award because what Spencer Carbery did in Washington won’t be ignored, but St. Louis should be a nominee. You won’t find anyone in this city that disagrees.
Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.
