That must be the Marco Marciano effect

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
That must be the Marco Marciano effect
Credit: Getty Images

Jakub Dobes played well yesterday against the Nordiques.

The goalie (who still stopped less than 90% of the shots he faced and let in a bad goal early on) wasn't perfect, but he did what a goalie has to do: he won the game.

In fact, he hasn't lost since the holidays.

We are now a long way from the time when the Canadiens skipped him in the three-goalie rotation. Because in the last few days, he has been looking like a #1 goalie.

Things change quickly in the world of hockey.

We can all agree that the Avalanche didn't exactly play up to their great talent (was Nathan MacKinnon already thinking about the Olympics, since he was invisible?), but Dobes rose to the occasion when it mattered.

That save (which earned him a wave of love from the crowd) kept his team in the game— and ultimately led to a 7-3 win.

Of course, it's important to note that this was Marco Marciano's first official game as goalie coach for the Montreal Canadiens.

Did the victory come from the Marco Marciano effect? I said it jokingly in my headline… and even if we agree that the newgoalie coachin town hasn't changed everything, it certainly gavethegoalies a littleboost.

Because yes, Dobes is happy to see Marciano in town. During his post-game press conference, the goalie said that what he has learned from Marciano in recent years still applies.

The two men have a good relationship, which will help Dobes continue to improve.

Obviously, at this point, we wonder if the Canadiens will choose to send the European back into the fray for tomorrow's important game in Buffalo.

We'll see tomorrow what the decision will be.

But it's not just the goalie's performance that needs to be analyzed. Several players had a say in the Canadiens' victory over the Colorado Nordiques.

What do I take away from the game?

1. The Canadiens avenged their heavy 7-2 loss in November. More importantly, they won their first game against the Nordiques since the 1990s.

Visually, seeing the jerseys of both teams was magnificent.

2. Nick Suzuki stepped up during the game. He scored two goals (I don't know if he'll ever get a hat trick), including a magnificent shorthanded goal.

He was all over the ice, also picking up an assist and doing well (57.1%) in the faceoff circle.

3. A game that ends 7-3 isn't a duel between the Canadiens and the Nordiques; it's more like a clash between the Alouettes and the Broncos.

That's a football score.

But in any case, defeating the Avalanche so decisively reminds us that sometimes, the habs can dance with the best in the league to get the win.

Oh, by the way: Colorado has now lost eight regular season games. Not only did the habs beat the Nordiques yesterday, they also protected their history. #1977LosingRecord

4. Kaiden Guhle took a big hit (during the game) that went unpunished. Did he expose himself too much? Many believe that the defenseman didn't protect himself well enough.

But regardless, it was very surprising to see him return to the game (and deliver a solid shoulder check to Artturi Lehkonen) because, judging by his reaction on the ice, he looked like he was done for several weeks.

Honestly, when he threw his helmet down as he skated back to the locker room, I thought it was a sign that he wasn't coming back in the game. I'm not the only one who thought that.

It remains to be seen if he feels okay this morning and if he'll feel okay tomorrow morning.

5. Speaking of Guhle: the idea of pairing him with Mike Matheson to face the other team's top line paid off. He was effective with the Québécois.

It was great to see in a game that was a festival of blocked shots.

What's more, it gave Lane Hutson an excellent playing partner (Noah Dobson), which isn't always the case. It paid off because early in the game, Hutson fed the right-hander with a beautiful pass, and he found the back of the net.

Lane Hutson finished the game with two points. All the other defensemen (except Arber Xhekaj) had one point—and all the right-handed defensemen scored.

6. Oliver Kapanen's line stepped up in the game. And since the habs were leading by a lot, he was able to give some players more ice time, which allowed the first line to rest.

12:49 for Cole Caufield is not much, we can all agree. Even good old Arber Xhekaj (13:38) played more!

Only Josh Anderson (13 seconds less) had less playing time than the star winger. But if you can rest your key players and don't need them to win, you do it.

That's the mark of good teams.


Overtime

With this win, the Canadiens remain in the Eastern Conference.The Bruins, Sabres, Lightning, Devils, Islanders, Penguins, Hurricanes, and Capitals all won yesterday.

You know, the Canadiens are eighth in the overall NHL standings, but they're close to the last playoff spot in the East. That tells you how crazy the conference is this season.

(Credit: NHL.com)

The Canadiens will head to Buffalo for tomorrow's game. Today's practice was canceled by Martin St-Louis after yesterday's game.

Remember that after the game in Buffalo, there will also be games in Minnesota and Winnipeg before the Olympic break.

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