Hockey

Fifth blowout in a month at the Bell Centre: the Habs are lost in Martin St-Louis’ system
Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Fifth blowout in a month at the Bell Centre: the Habs are lost in Martin St-Louis’ system
Credit: X

Last night, the Canadiens ate a cursed one. The club lost 6-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The problem wasn't just the loss. The problem is that, once again, the guys didn't play well. They looked like a gang of deer in front of the lights of a pickup truck on the highway.

They say the club lacks consistency… but since November 11, they've been getting washed out at home on a regular basis.

Inevitably, Martin St-Louis' decisions are being called into question at this point. The coach, who plays yo-yo with Ivan Demidov and Zachary Bolduc on the first wave of the powerplay, is being criticized more than ever for his man-to-man system.

This was also the case last year, when the Habs ate volleys over and over again. The more things change, the more they stay the same…

In reality, even if the players don't want to talk about it publicly and Martin St-Louis hates being asked about his sacrosanct man-to-man system, it's clear that the guys are lost in it.

What was that sequence last night?

Regardless of the goalie in front of the net (both goalies didn't do their job… and we'll get to that later this morning), we saw a disorganized Canadiens on the ice.

The Lightning (who played most of the game with five defensemen, without Victor Hedman) may be good, but the Canadiens looked like an AHL club.

There's not much positive to take away from this game (the real positive element that changes the vibe a bit is the wave of recalls, including Jacob Fowler), in fact.

But let's go anyway. What do I take away from the game?

1. Samuel Montembeault, Nick Suzuki, and Noah Dobson did nothing to impress Jon Cooper and the heads of Team Canada last night.

The Lightning players battling Suzuki for position looked better.

One of the worst plays of the game went to Dobson. Yes, he may have been at the end of a sequence, but his lazy side (you know, the one that made Patrick Roy so happy?) showed.

He was soft in the offensive zone, soft on the rebound, and soft in the defensive zone. Yes, it would be nice to see a Habs goalie save his teammates' butts once in a while, but… boy was Dobson soft.

2. We'll always respect Brendan Gallagher's effort. But clearly, he's playing hurt right now and can't do himself justice on the ice.

Yesterday, apart from losing physical confrontations when HE was the one tackling, what did he do?

3. Kaiden Guhle's absence hurts. Jayden Struble was okay for a while, but now we see he's not a top-4 defenseman.

Can't wait for a stronger guy to play with Lane Hutson.

4. The Lightning may have been hungry, but is it normal for a club that has been blanked in its last two games to score SIX goals in one game?

No, it isn't.

5. It's not all bad news, though, as Ivan Demidov has found a way to create another fine game offensively. The guy knows how to make great passes, clearly.

And Oliver Kapanen has figured out how to capitalize on his chances.

6. When the Habs lose… they lose. Of their 14 losses this season, five of them have been by allowing at least six goals. The club has also given away five goals three times and four goals four times.

And it's only December…

7. It's clearer than ever that the Canadiens have lost their way. At five-on-five, the club ranks last in both goals scored and goals allowed.

That's not good. And it's understandable that the fans who pay good money to go to the Bell Centre are pissed.


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Now we turn to the next game. It's tomorrow night in Pittsburgh… and we're expecting to see Jacob Fowler get his first career start.

The Canadiens will practice at 11 a.m. this morning in Brossard. Fowler, Adam Engstrom, and Owen Beck will all be in attendance.

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