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In Hainsight: Ylonen Seals the Deal |
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Follow me @KarineHains for all updates about the Montreal Canadiens and women's hockey
The San Jose Sharks are the worst team in the league and by far and yet, the Canadiens needed the shootout to beat them, and to be frank they weren’t the best team on the ice. Montreal started the game well, but momentum shifted when Mike Matheson was assessed a two-minute penalty for holding. From then on, the Sharks smelt blood and tested Cayden Primeau numerous times. Primeau held the fort until the end of the first period but was beaten by Mike Hoffman, who else, five minutes into the second frame. San Jose doubled its lead with a power play goal while Justin Barron was in the box for tripping.
Down 2-0, the Canadiens should have been working relentlessly to catch-up, but they looked like they had the energy of a bunch of scarecrows. Still, Jonathan Kovacevich managed to get Montreal on the board with a top-corner shot that beat Mackenzie Blackwood. Cole Caufield and Jayden Struble got the helpers on the play, meaning that in just his second NHL game, Struble got his first point, while it was Caufield’s 100th career point. The sniper reached the milestone in 143 games and had 58 goals and 42 assists. Caufield got on the scoresheet again when he scored his first goal in seven games and just his second at even strength early in the third period. The deadlock lasted until the end of 65 minutes of play, and it was Jesse Ylonen who sealed the deal with a dazzling maneuver. The American was the Canadiens’ sixth shooter and the only one to score aside from Nick Suzuki.
While collectively the game certainly wasn’t a masterpiece, Juraj Slafkovsky gave another noteworthy effort. The Slovak seems to grow in confidence with every game and even dared a no-look pass that set up Cole Caufield for a dangerous shot on Blackwood. Martin St-Louis felt comfortable using the youngster late in the game and he even got on the ice during the overtime period, had had close to 20 minutes of ice time in the end, the most he played in his young career. Slafkovsky also had a turn in the shootout and did everything but beat the goaltender who was at his mercy, but the puck ended up on the post. In his last five games, he’s got four points and a +4 rating. He’s progressing nicely and looking like a more complete player every game.
Cole Caufield was named first star of the game thanks to his two points and took six shots on goals in over twenty minutes of play. Christian Dvorak is probably playing his best hockey since being acquired by the Canadiens and has played a big part in Slafkovsky’s progress. Jayden Struble had another good game and is not looking out of place at all in the NHL. He plays a steady style and makes good decisions on the fly. Finally, Cayden Primeau was great, making 31 saves on 33 shots for a save percentage of .939.
The Canadiens had a different goaltender in net for the 15th consecutive game last night, so even with such a stellar performance, Primeau is unlikely to get another start right away, especially since Montreal has got a second game in as many days. Yesterday, the team also announced that Arber Xhekaj was put on IR retroactively to his last game and called up Joel Armia to have a complete roster.
The Canadiens will take on the Los Angeles Kings this afternoon at 4:00 PM and should face a much more difficult test. Philip Danault’s team is currently fifth in the league and has got an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 games on top on having won their last four.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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