The Montreal Canadiens played for the first time on Amazon Prime on Monday night, hosting Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Bell Centre. Unfortunately, the veteran-heavy visitors picked up a 6-3 victory, finding ways to get pucks past a once unbeatable Sam Montembeault.
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Although it is only one game and one loss, this is one of those games that people will look back on, especially if the wildcard race boils down to these two teams, as one the Canadiens could have won, especially against Tristan Jarry, who has been struggling in goal.
It’s not that the better team won on Monday; the more experienced squad found their moment to score and take care of business. Here are a few noticeable things from the latest Canadiens loss.
Montembeault is Human After All
Montembeault came into Monday’s contest with an incredible .986 SV% and 0.50 GAA with a perfect 2-0-0 record. Although no goalie was going to sustain those statistics throughout the regular season, the 27-year-old had some humble pie against the veteran Penguins.
The Canadiens’ netminder was busy all night, finishing with 25 saves and a .833 SV%. Fortunately, the visiting Penguins didn’t connect on every shot past Montembeault, as they hit the post several times. Still, he was there to make key saves as the game progressed, preventing it from getting out of hand.
Ultimately, with such a strong start, Monday’s defeat was just a bump in the road. With the Los Angeles Kings in town on Thursday, the de facto No. 1 should get a chance to play again and bounce back from this performance.
Growing Pains for Hutson
Through his first five games, Lane Hutson revved up the crowd every time he touched the puck, and Monday night was no exception, as the Bell Centre got excited when he gained possession.
However, for the first time in his very young career, Hutson was minus-4 and on the ice for 66% of Pittsburgh’s goals on the evening. Watching the contest on Amazon Prime, the camera panned to Hutson every time the Penguins scored, and the youngster was looking up to the jumbotron to relive the play that had just unfolded on the ice.
Yet, one of the night’s highlights was a chase for a puck between Hutson and Penguins legend Crosby. For perspective, the 20-year-old Canadiens’ defenseman was two years old when Pittsburgh’s captain made his NHL debut.
Monday was the first of many times that fans will marvel at Hutson’s moves but walk away knowing that he’s still young, and with that inexperience will come growing pains.
Canadiens Outplayed by Veterans
Without wearing out a tired narrative so early in the season, the Canadiens came into the meeting with the Penguins as the second-youngest team in the NHL, while their opponents ranked as the second-oldest.
Considering that Montreal got three goals from players under 24, Juraj Slafkovsky, Emil Heineman, and Kaiden Guhle, no one under 30 scored for Pittsburgh.
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They were led by 35-year-old Lars Eller, who scored two goals while receiving additional lamplighters from Evgeni Malkin (38), Kris Letang (37), Kevin Hayes (32), and Rakell Rickell (31).
In a battle between two teams fighting for a wildcard spot for the next six months, the veterans found a way to do what they have been doing for over a decade at the NHL level: capitalizing on opportunities and exposing the inexperienced’s minor weaknesses.
As previously mentioned, this performance was a one-off and a by-product of growing pains. The Canadiens will be hungry for a mulligan on Thursday.
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