Four reasons (besides the deflected shot off the boards) for the Canadiens’ loss

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Four reasons (besides the deflected shot off the boards) for the Canadiens’ loss
Credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Last night, the highlight at the Bell Centre was Tage Thompson's goal.

In the Canadiens' 3-2 loss last night, seeing the puck deflect off the boards and into the net really got people talking around town yesterday.

And that's normal. What a lucky break!

This isn't the first time this year that the Habs have been outplayed like this. Jacob Fowler gave up a goal under similar circumstances back in January.

The Bell Centre really needs to look into this.

That said, even though it didn't help Martin St-Louis's men, I don't consider it one of the main reasons for the Canadiens' loss last night.

Here are three factors that hurt the Habs more in this game.

1. The start of the game

Martin St-Louis believes there are positives to take away from the game. And it's true: the Canadiens had the upper hand for a good portion of the game.

That said, things were tough early on. This notably opened the door for a Sabres goal at 6:32 into the game.

And the Habs could have been down 2-0 in the game if Martin St-Louis hadn't saved the day by requesting a review for obstruction on the Sabres' disallowed goal.

In short, the rough start really hurt.

2. The Power Play

I know Cole Caufield scored on the power play. But the Habs had so many chances and managed to convert only one of their seven opportunities.

Needless to say, that's not enough.

In my view, the solution is clear: the guys aren't shooting enough. I don't know if they're so focused on setting up their teammates, but the Habs' highly dynamic power play needs to be more… um…

Let's just say the guys need to have a killer instinct.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that Jon Cooper, in last year's Four Nations Showdown final, said one of the most important things ever said in modern hockey.

In overtime, when no one was shooting, he told his guys to stop being selfish and just shoot.

3. The Penalty Kill

The Canadiens were penalized four times yesterday—twice because of Alexandre Carrier. And every time the Habs were penalized in the second or third period, it opened the door for a Sabres power-play goal.

One of them was a bank shot, though.

Seeing Jake Evans get penalized in the third period changed the game for the Canadiens… and not in a good way. It led to the game-winning goal by the Sabres, who won the special teams battle yesterday.

The game was rarely played five-on-five yesterday. And the Habs didn't take advantage of it.

4. A Welcome Change

Jakub Dobes played well yesterday, but his opponent was better. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who hadn't played since April 21, was excellent for his team.

The man who was put to the test by the Habs players and the crowd deserves his first game star.


In a nutshell

– A machine.

– Great exposure for the Habs on Saturday night.

– Well done.

– Victory in the final.

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