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The Canadian respected Marc-André Fleury so much that he played a terrible game
Charles-Alexis Brisebois
The Canadian respected Marc-André Fleury so much that he played a terrible game
Credit: Getty Images
Fans of the Bell Centre know how to do things right.

Last night was Marc-André Fleury night at the Bell Centre. On what was likely his final career start in his home province, all eyes were on him.

He deserved it, of course. And the fans showed him all their respect, even though he never wore the Habs’ colors.

The CH also did a great job honoring him by choosing strategic moments to do so. And just to be clear, when I talk about the CH, I’m not referring to the players.

In fact, no: the players paid a beautiful tribute to him by ensuring he had the easiest path to a 76th career shutout.

It was normal to see the Canadiens pay tribute to him before and after the game. It was normal for the players and coaches to shake his hand after the match.

But during the game? It would have been nice if the CH players had aimed to beat Flower and the Wild.

A lucky break that the fans had Fleury to experience emotions yesterday. Because no, it wasn’t the eight (!) shots from the CH during the first 40 minutes that really challenged him.

And after? It was too late. Even though the CH shot 11 times in the third, that only amounts to 19 shots total…

It was that kind of game where we knew the CH wouldn’t be able to climb back up. It was that kind of game where you could clearly see the early-season team, the one that didn’t win often, had resurfaced.

Martin St-Louis, who says that the CH has lost a bit of its swagger, wants the CH to be a thermostat and not a thermometer.

That’s all well and good, but the team has proven capable, in recent weeks, of playing good hockey. It’s not solely because of Kaiden Guhle’s injury, is it? Right?

Fans had the right to boo the Habs, who weren’t playing a second game in two nights in two different cities without their best forward.

At times, it looked like the Minnesota Wild were playing a home game while the Canadiens were on the road. And I’m not saying that because Flower was being cheered…

That’s not a good sign. But what explains such a game?

1. It’s rare for him, but Nick Suzuki didn’t have it last night. The captain couldn’t find his groove and he looked off.

And when he plays poorly, it shows.

2. The fans treated Fleury so well that after the game, in an interview with Marc Denis, he hesitated when asked if he would really retire at the end of the year.

Let’s just say that the referees didn’t receive the same treatment from the crowd. It’s not normal that there were only two penalties during the game.

3. It’s an isolated play, I know. But seeing Patrik Laine pass the puck to Christian Dvorak on such a sequence during a two-on-one rush is… generous. Let’s put it that way.

Laine needs to trust himself.

4. During the game, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard was the only forward who played less than 11 minutes. In his first game of the season at the Bell Centre, he had 8:54 of ice time.

That’s more than Michael Pezzetta when he plays.

Defensively, without Kaiden Guhle, several guys logged heavy minutes. Mike Matheson, for example, had 25:57 and Lane Hutson had 21:33. Jayden Struble still spent 15:36 on the ice.

All the defensemen were on the minus in terms of plus-minus during the game. That’s only logical when you lose 4-0…

5. For the second time in his NHL career and for the second time in his last two games, Jakub Dobes lost a game. This time, he did it in regulation.

Even if he had been perfect, his team wouldn’t have won in 60 minutes. This fourth straight loss was predictable.


overtime

Right now, when you look at the standings, you can see that the CH is only four points out of a playoff spot. It’s nothing serious, but it’s worse than mid-January, let’s say.

The February break will do them good.

(Credit: NHL.com)
There are only five games left before the Four Nations Confrontation. And the next three will take place in California, which means that fatigue could set in.

As long as it doesn’t become an excuse…

Yesterday, Michael Pezzetta was the only one of the 21 healthy players of the main squad who wasn’t dressed. We should expect a Rocket defenseman to be on the Canadiens’ flight today.

And since the Rocket will be playing tonight, we should be able to play detective quite easily. Noting that if everyone plays, it could mean that Logan Mailloux, who will go to California for the AHL All-Star Game, has a chance to back up the main squad on the road.

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