Canadiens Lineup

Mike Hoffman – Nick Suzuki – Joel Armia

Denis Gurianov – Jonathan Drouin –  Sean Farrell

Rem Pitlick – Jake Evans – Brendan Gallagher

Michael Pezzetta – Chris Tierney – Joel Teasdale

Mike Matheson – Justin Barron

Joel Edmundson – Chris Wideman

Frederic Allard – Johnathan Kovacevic

Sam Montembeault, Jake Allen

none

Carey Price (knee), Paul Byron (hip), Sean Monahan (lower-body), Juraj Slafkovsky (lower-body), Cole Caufield (shoulder), Arber Xhekaj (upper-body), Christian Dvorak (lower-body), Kaiden Guhle (lower-body), Josh Anderson (lower-body), Kirby Dach (upper-body), David Savard (lower-body), Alex Belzile (lower-body), Jordan Harris (lower-body)

Game Report

The New York Islanders had a job to do: get at least one point against Montreal to secure a playoff spot. They did better, they got two.

And the Canadiens had another opportunity to show that they could compete right until the end of the season. Individually, players had the opportunity to catch the organization’s eyes with a play or two. And we’re not necessarily only talking about goals.

Sure, there was a shorthanded marker by Nick Suzuki but it was his effort to will his way past the Isles defenseman that was spectacular. Similarly, it was a steal by Jake Evans to set up the Habs first goal that made us say ‘wow.’ And watching Sean Farrell get knocked down by a larger Islander only to get back up and win a puck battle that scored points in our book.

A Glimpse into the Future

None of the three were necessarily the best Canadiens on the ice. But their efforts to make a play in game 81 of the season with nothing on the line should be what is remembered when looking forward.

In fact, Suzuki likely would have ended up in the ‘Minus’ group if not for his dazzling play. The Canadiens captain was buried by the Isles’ top line. Shot attempts were 5-22 against Suzuki.

As for Farrell, it should be acknowledged that he still has lots to learn but is showing remarkable progress in just a few games. He is playing with confidence and brings a play-making creativity that no one else possesses on the team presently.

At the beginning of the season Marty St. Louis promised that this year would be devoted to development. He veered from that approach several times during the season. 

But hopefully, the head coach will be more willing to accept both the remarkable plays and the mistakes from players of the future like Farrell, Jesse Ylonen, Logan Mailloux and Emil Heineman. That’s far more forward-thinking than being tempted to use placeholders like Rem Pitlick and Alex Belzile who will not be part of the roster when the Canadiens return to being a playoff team.

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Plus

Minus

▼  Joel Teasdale, Joel Edmundson, Chris Wideman, Michael Pezzetta, Chris Tierney, Chris Wideman, Frederic Allard, Mike Matheson, Mike Hoffman, Joel Armia

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