Call of the Wilde: The Montreal Canadiens beat the Philadelphia Flyers for a 2nd straight victory – Montreal
There has been a lot of consternation in Montreal so far this season, but the Canadiens had a chance Sunday night to move to .500 on the season.
The Philadelphia Canadiens improved to 4-4-1 this year with a 4-3 win over the Flyers.
Wild horses
The dominance of Nick Suzuki’s line with Cole Caufield and Kirby Dach will be an interesting trend to examine as the sample size increases. When the line had Juraj Slafkovsky, the trio collapsed. With Dach against the Flyers on the wing, the line had an expected 83 goal share after two to take over the game. It was a dominant performance when it counted, although they held on in the third period.
This is the first time this season that a Canadian trio has managed to put together good numbers to win a victory. It was a difficult start for Montreal 5 on 5. In the first period, it was Dach who made a short pass to Suzuki to score.
So much for Suzuki’s brutal start to the year which concerned everyone. Suzuki has 11 points in nine games this season. One of these years he’ll reach that elusive points-per-game plateau.
In the second period, Cole Caufield continued his momentum. Score eight goals in nine games for Caufield. It was another goalscorer’s goal. One of those shots that you think wouldn’t make it through the goalie’s equipment to anyone else.
Lane Hutson returned to his most dazzling ways in this one after showing a little more reserve Saturday night against St. Louis Hutson is so good at creating space for himself and then giving his teammates excellent chances.
However, imagine if he could make his shot a little heavier, what that would mean for defenders trying to neutralize him. Hutson watched a defender peel away for a pass, then unleash a powerful shot. This would create a whole new level of dominance.
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Another important plot point was Cayden Primeau’s goaltending. He has struggled so far this season. He entered the Philadelphia game with a .880 save percentage. That’s not high enough for the NHL. He needed to recover with a match worthy of the NHL.
Primeau has certainly found his form. Midway through the second period, the Flyers had a huge opportunity. Ryan Poehling fired into the top corner. Primeau fell on those shots as the shot went up, but this time he stayed high and strong. He pulled out the glove for the big save.
Primeau gave up a few late goals and the young team showed that young teams aren’t very good at making things boring, but overall, Primeau and the Canadiens did what they had to. It’s in column W. That’s the main thing.
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Wild goats
It was Montreal’s first dominant performance this season, despite late twists and turns. This shows what some practice time can do. After the debacle against the New York Rangers, Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis said he would watch film and find solutions.
They were much tighter after three days of training. Sometimes there are times when they play so many games, or only have time to travel between games, that bad habits can develop. This is especially true for a young team that is being taught a lot to develop their game.
Thanks to St. Louis for preparing players to correct mistakes and play better hockey. There is nothing to distinguish in this one. All is well from the Canadians. They won two matches. They are 0.500 per year. By the way, that’s good for third place and a playoff spot at this very early stage.
Wilde Cards
As the Canadiens experience growing pains with young players trying to reach tough heights at the NHL level, the AHL club is on fire to start the season. The Laval Rocket have won five and lost only once to start the season. Place Bell is full of an atmosphere that is the envy of the league.
The club is stretching around the scoreline so far this year. Alex Barré-Boulet is the team’s leader, but he is far from leading the league even with eight points in four games.
Signing Barré-Boulet was a smart move by general manager Kent Hughes. In fact, giving him a one-way contract was even smarter, because it meant that when Hughes tried to move the Quebecer to the minors, he knew no one would pick him up on the waiver wire and he would have to pay him NHL money to play in the AHL. games.
Barré-Boulet is a sure bet at the AHL level with solid scoring seasons for many years. The supporting cast is also doing well as Joshua Roy has six points in six games to finish second on the team. He didn’t sulk after not joining the big club, but he worked hard and played well to earn his return.
Perhaps the main reason for the success is Pascal Vincent’s head coach. He makes the young club play a structured game. They give up very few chances. Vincent is solid on the defensive side of the puck, and with time, it’s easy to see the front office giving him the chance to work with defensemen at the NHL level.
Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you The Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.
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