Jacob Markstrom was unbeatable against the Canadiens

Michaël Petit
Jacob Markstrom was unbeatable against the Canadiens
Credit: DansLesCoulisses.com

On this Easter Sunday evening, the Montreal Canadiens hosted the New Jersey Devils, having played them on the road the day before.

The Habs had the chance to win their ninth straight game, and they did so in front of their home crowd.

Of course, everyone was keeping an eye on Cole Caufield's famous 50th goal, as he stood at 49 before the game began.

It would be truly special to see him achieve that in front of the Bell Centre crowd.

For the occasion, Martin St-Louis fielded the same lineup as the previous night, except in goal. Jacob Fowler was the starting goaltender, while Jakub Dobes was his backup.

The Devils quickly took control of the game. They were everywhere and set the tone.

Midway through the first period, Jack Hughes fired a shot that Fowler fumbled. Timo Meier simply had to tap it in into an open net.

Jacob Fowler was supposed to make the save on a shot like Jack Hughes's. He shouldn't have let that puck get past him, but hey, that's part of the learning process.

Despite that blunder, Fowler was still solid in net, stopping eight of nine shots in the first period.

The score was 1-0 for the Devils after 20 minutes of play.

In the second period, the Habs stepped up their game. The Devils also had some good chances, but the Habs dug in, especially once they were able to capitalize on a power play.

Unfortunately, despite the fans who so desperately wanted to see Cole Caufield score, the Habs ultimately couldn't get on the board.

Just as the pace of the game seemed to slow down significantly toward the end of the second period, Cody Glass beat Fowler to double his team's lead.

Let's just say Fowler will want to review that play… He needs to make saves like that.

You have to admit, though, it was a great breakaway by Glass.

Both teams headed to the locker room with the Devils leading 2-0. The Habs had only eight shots in 40 minutes… It takes more than that to hope to win a game.

Fans certainly expected a better performance from the first line, especially from Caufield. He had only one shot on goal after 40 minutes of play.

The two teams came to blows right at the start of the third period, and several penalties were called.

It all started with a check by Bolduc on Luke Hughes, who decided to retaliate with a double-check. A scuffle ensued, and here are the penalties handed out:

Luke Hughes: 2 minutes for roughing + 2 minutes for double-checking.

Johnathan Kovacevic: 10 minutes for game misconduct.

Josh Anderson: 2 minutes for roughing.

All of this led to a power play for the Habs, who were unable to capitalize on the opportunity.

The Canadiens (finally) stepped up their game a bit more in the third period. They need to stop waiting until the third period to play with intensity…

The Habs caught up in terms of shots on goal, but were unable to beat Jacob Markstrom.

Markstrom was excellent, especially in the third period. He made some big saves to keep his team in the game and make things very difficult for the Habs.

Many Habs fans thought Caufield would score his 50th goal with two excellent consecutive scoring chances.

Adding to the intensity of the third period, Josh Anderson and Brenden Dillon dropped their gloves. Dillon ultimately received a two-minute penalty for instigating, in addition to the five-minute penalty for fighting.

The Habs were thus able to capitalize on another power play, but once again, the CH failed to score.

Finally, when Martin St-Louis pulled Fowler from the net for a sixth skater, the Devils tripled their lead and scored the insurance goal.

Final score: 3-0 for the Devils.

The Montreal Canadiens' next game will take place Tuesday night, when the hapless two-time champions, the Florida Panthers, visit the Bell Centre.


Overtime

– Not enough is being said about Joe Veleno's work in recent weeks. The Quebec native has really stepped up his game since rejoining the lineup and continues to bring a strong physical presence.

In fact, without making much noise, Veleno ranks third on the Habs for most hits this season with 143. Arber Xhekaj (158) and Zachary Bolduc (157) are the only ones ahead of Veleno in that category.

Veleno was likely one of the Habs' best forwards in the game, especially in the first period.

– In an interview aired by RDS before the game, Pierre Houde spoke with Noah Dobson, noting in particular that Dobson is tied for first in the NHL in blocked shots this season. Dobson said he'll take every little chance he gets to make things easier for his goalies. Now that's a defenseman goalies love to have in front of them.

– The Habs certainly lacked determination and intensity in this game. Especially in the first two periods. It's as if having officially secured a playoff spot caused the guys to “let up” a bit too much, and they didn't give it their all as they should have.

Also, the players may have looked for Caufield a bit too much, which could have reduced their chances of getting on the scoreboard. That said, Caufield still had his team's two best scoring chances late in the game.

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