Game three. It’s the make or break game. When one team is down two games, it’s the game that decides whether it will be a series or not.
They rose to the occasion with their best match of the season winning 6-3 outshooting the Capitals 40-20.
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They’re learning how to play in the playoffs. The fruits of their labour may not ripen in this series, but they’re learning. They will see the reward of this experience one day in the near future, if not even now.
Head Coach Martin St. Louis has this group so prepared for a young team. They understand the assignment. They are forechecking effectively this series. They are paying attention to details. They are defending well.
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It is obvious that they are figuring it out during the series. Juraj Slafkovsky went from poor to a beast from game one to game three. Christian Dvorak this season has gone from no need to sign him to at the right price it needs to be done. Cole Caufield went from cross-checked in the face to not backing down; skating his heart out weaving brilliantly.
It was Caufield who put the Canadiens in front with nine seconds left in the second period. He had a wide open net thanks to Lane Hutson who stepped in front of the Caps winger Alex Ovechkin at the point to capture the puck. He then found Caufield for the primary assist.
Hutson had a weak first game in the playoffs, but he takes his lessons so quickly to improve his game. He’s a genius of a player. It was Shea Weber who said that the most important character trait of a good defender is his decision making. This is Hutson. Size won’t deter him. He will simply continue to make amazing decisions to become one of the league’s best rearguards for the next 15 years.
The third period was tied at three and it was rise up or bow out for the Canadiens. They put an entirely new slant on the series with the best period of their season. Dvorak continued to show his worth with the fourth Montreal goal as he threw it at the net where a Capitals player deflected it five-hole through his own goalie.
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It was the fifth goal that was the best moment of the entire campaign. It was six minutes without a whistle. Intense hockey as enjoyable as the sport gets. It was back and forth. It finally ended with Caufield feeding Slafkovsky who tipped it home from one foot. Worse for the Capitals is Dylan Strome ran over Logan Thompson bending back his left leg in an uncomfortable manner. Thompson couldn’t put any weight at all on his leg as he left the game.
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Both starters left with injuries as the Canadiens had to switch to Jakub Dobes midway through the second period after a mysterious exit from Samuel Montembeault.
Tremendous performances abounded from so many players. It is so easy to be impressed by the effort of this club against the number one seed. Alexandre Carrier reinforced the trade of the year for Kent Hughes. Alex Newhook wrapped it up with a ripper into the top corner for 6-3.
It is easy and it is natural to get locked up in the game score down 2-1. It’s the only metric that truly matters, but behind the series score is the future, and the Canadiens is bright.
The progression of the club from the start of the season to now may be the best progression in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues and Ottawa Senators as rivals.
The future is so bright.
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When the Canadiens made it 5-3, the shots on goal were 36-18. That was the total shots over the best team in the east this season. That is what Montreal did.
The one seed is Washington. The eight seed playing 15 points above their predicted placement put in an effort for the ages to earn their first win of the series.
They played bigger with Arber Xhekaj in the line-up. They all had the intensity required to win. They supported each other when Tom Wilson and Josh Anderson brawled at the bench after the second period concluded.
They stayed unified despite two difficult losses in Washington when they could have easily had better results with some good puck luck.
No goats when you not only beat the Capitals but double them in shots 40-20.
The series is on. It is the Capitals who are suddenly re-grouping.
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The Laval Rocket remain on the sidelines waiting for the first round to end in the American Hockey League playoffs. The Rocket were the top club in the entire 72 game schedule as the only club to achieve the 100-point plateau.
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The Rocket are practicing during a 10-day break as they await the winner between the Cleveland Monsters and the Toronto Marlies. They only just started their series on Thursday night going to overtime with Cleveland winning 4-3.
When the Rocket finally get started, it will likely be on around April 30th for game one of the best-of-five at Place Bell. Laval will be a heavy favourite with only 19 losses all season.
Laval is solid everywhere. In the net, Cayden Primeau struggled in the NHL, but he figured it out in the minors with a .927 save percentage in 26 games. If Primeau is off-form, then Jacob Fowler has just arrived. He’s expected to be a better pro than Primeau. Fowler had a .914 in three starts. It will be interesting how the starts are shared in the playoffs.
On defence, there’s so much talent. There are three blue liners who are expected to have NHL careers in Logan Mailloux, Adam Engstrom and David Reinbacher. The rest before the playoffs has been perfect for Reinbacher who was held out of the line-up for most of the end of the regular season due to some swelling on his recently operated on knee. Reinbacher says he feels better now.
Let’s hope it lasts in the playoffs and into next season. Reinbacher has looked outstanding in his limited action in Laval.
At forward, the story is the depth. The Rocket bring four lines and roll talent relentlessly. Often the first line of the Rocket sees as much talent across from them. However, by the third and fourth lines, the Rocket are rolling possible NHL players while their opponents are sending out career AHL players.
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The third and fourth lines in the Rocket’s last meaningful game had Joshua Roy, Florian Xhekaj, Owen Beck, Luke Tuch, Riley Kidney and Filip Mesar. That’s a ridiculous amount of talent at the back end of a roster in the AHL.
The Rocket also have the coach of the year in Pascal Vincent. Vincent creates a style of play that is relentless on the forecheck, but also safe and organized on the defensive side.
In all truth, if Laval doesn’t have a long playoff run, it will be a massive organizational disappointment. They are that good.
Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.
