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I hold my breath for all the shots aimed at Jake Allen.

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I hold my breath for all the shots aimed at Jake Allen.
Credit: Capture d'écran / Screenshot
After losing to the Stars yesterday afternoon, the Habs were looking to win at least one game this Super Bowl weekend.

Historically, this weekend has smiled on the Habs, but not in 2024. This afternoon, the Blues came to the Bell Centre, scored a touchdown and completed their one-point conversion.

Final score: 7-2 Saint-Louis.

Jake Allen was ex-officio against his former team and had the chance to win his bet against his former teammates. However, he was badly outplayed and allowed seven goals. He stopped 29 pucks out of 36. That’s an efficiency average of just under .700 (.806).

Seriously, he didn’t have it easy today, and it’s not as if he couldn’t do something on every goal. The proof: the seventh goal is one of the lowest-allowed nets of his career…

The guy with only two wins since October isn’t worth much on the trade market anymore, unfortunately.

Martin St-Louis finally understands my reaction when he confirms that Allen will be in front of the net for such a game.

In any case, when a shot is aimed at the veteran, I hold my breath.

Even when the shots come from behind the net, I’m not breathing. Today, I can tell you that I almost ran out of oxygen…

But hey.

Cayden Primeau isn’t much better, but he’s younger and has a brighter future in Montreal. He needs to play more than the 34, and I can’t repeat that enough. The American hasn’t played for 24 days now and he won’t play tomorrow either.

Could he play on Tuesday or Thursday in New York? I hope so.

One thing’s for sure: I’m not the only one who’s tired of seeing Jake Allen in front of the net. I understand that he’s a good person and a good veteran for the youngsters, but…

Aside from the goaltender’s record, here’s what I took away from this second game in two afternoons:

1. Jayden Struble had a tough time. And I’m not saying that out of a lack of objectivity: he said it himself.

On the first goal of the game, he was served a cup of coffee by Alexey Toropchenko.

A goal of beauty.

On the Blues’ third goal, he took a bad penalty in the defensive zone, which led to the visitors’ winning goal.

And to add insult to injury, he didn’t look good on the opponent’s fourth goal.

A match to forget for the youngster, who nevertheless finished with an assist.

A small balm on a difficult match.

But we can’t point the finger too much. Most of the defensemen didn’t play well, and since his recall from Laval, the left-hander has been playing some excellent hockey. He can’t look like Bobby Orr 82 games a year, can he?

2. Joel Armia had an excellent weekend. Before the sixth period (of the weekend), he hadn’t found the back of the net, but he had golden opportunities.

He was combative, involved and played well alongside Alex Newhook, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard (for a period and a half) and Joshua Roy. This afternoon, his hard work paid off.

A lucky goal, but he’ll certainly take it.

If Armia can play every game this way, he’d be worth every penny of his $3.4 million annual contract. Once again, it’s consistency that’s lacking in his case.

3. Cole Caufield’s streak is now over. After 11 consecutive games with at least one point, the 22 stumbled against Jordan Binnington and the Blues’ defense.

He had a chance in the third period to increase his streak to 12, but to no avail.

Alex Jodoin, time to retire.

At least his trio-mates Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky continued their happy sequence. The captain has scored the team’s first goal in his last three games, and the Slovak has picked up at least one point in five consecutive games.

Did I mention it’s a trio affair in the metropolis?

4. The special units were hard at work. The power play didn’t produce (despite a five-minute opportunity in the first period) and the shorthanded allowed the Blues three goals.

Three goals!

Special units, not too special, so…

Officially, Nick Suzuki’s goal wasn’t scored on the power play, but it was still counted at five-on-four. I’ve never seen it, but the opponents, after the major penalty to Blais, didn’t send a player to the dungeon.

They didn’t necessarily forget, but they may later. The problem: the game never stopped between the start and end of the penalty. So Montreal took advantage of just over five minutes of “power play” time to stay in offensive territory and possibly score.

St. Louis was not allowed to send a guy from its bench.

5. Martin St-Louis looked disgusted all game. Understandable, though…

After all, his team was undisciplined and overall, it was a game to forget.

His many faces aptly described the day in Montreal…

2023-2024 season: St-Louis (Blues) 2 St-Louis (Martin) 0


Extension

On Super Bowl Sunday, there was another game on the NHL schedule.

The Canucks finally won this duel by a score of 3-2 in overtime against the Washington Capitals.

In defeat, Alexander Ovechkin scored again. It was his fifth straight game with at least one goal.

He’s now just 60 goals behind Wayne Gretzky.

After a difficult start to the season, he’s back!

J.T. Miller spoiled the Ovi party in DC with an overtime goal.

Now it’s time for the real event of the day: the Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.

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