Senators @ Canadiens: Simply Unacceptable | HABS RECAP

By
Rick Stephens
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(Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)

Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators Game Recap: Habs Line-up, Score, Statistics, Highlights, Post-game Interviews, NHL Three-Stars

FINAL | Game 42, Home Game 22 | Saturday April 17, 2021
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC

CANADIENS

Montreal

0-4

SENATORS

Ottawa
(Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)

Canadiens Lineup

Forward lines

Tyler Toffoli – Nick Suzuki – Joel Armia

Jonathan Drouin – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Josh Anderson

Tomas Tatar – Phillip Danault – Paul Byron

Artturi Lehkonen – Eric Staal – Corey Perry

Defence pairings

Ben Chiarot – Shea Weber

Joel Edmundson – Jeff Petry

Alexander Romanov – Brett Kulak

Goaltenders

Carey Price – Jake Allen

Scratches

None

Taxi Squad

Michael Frolik, Michael McNiven, Cole Caufield, Jake Evans, Xavier Ouellet

Injuries

Brendan Gallagher (hand), Erik Gustafsson (COVID protocol), Jon Merrill (COVID protocol)

Game Report

The Canadiens have been inconsistent in their play particularly with Dominique Ducharme at the helm. One thing they have been consistent about: slow starts. As Ben Chiarot said post-game, too often, this team is not ready.

Or put another way, they aren’t prepared. And that falls squarely on coaching.

Falling behind early in games means that the Canadiens are always chasing the game. There is no opportunity to gain confidence and build momentum.

So why have the Habs had so much difficulty generating offence? Let’s go back to Coach Chiarot. While recovering from his fractured hand, Ben had a chance to watch Montreal games from above. And what did he conclude?

Chiarot says that the forwards aren’t generating enough high danger chances. They aren’t getting the puck to the slot and players aren’t willing to take the punishment necessary by going to the areas where goals are scored.

Bingo!

Chiarot is exactly right. Now why can’t the interim head coach speak so clearly and directly to his team and the media?

The Canadiens had just one shot on goal in the first 17 minutes of the game. One shot against Matt Murray and the 30th placed team. That is unacceptable.

Up Next

The Canadiens will travel on Sunday to Edmonton where they will begin their five game road trip against the Oilers on Monday.

Plus

▲  Jesperi Kotkaneimi

Minus

▼  Jonathan Drouin, Paul Byron, Phillip Danault, Brett Kulak, Eric Staal

Game Preview

Check out the game preview here: Senators @ Canadiens: Price Will Start

The Numbers

Game Statistics
CANADIENS   SENATORS
23 Shots 15
46 Face-off % 54
0-for-4 Power Play 1-for-4
8 Penalty Minutes 8
36 Hits 17
56 Corsi For 61
Scoring Summary
FINAL 1 2 3 OT SO T
Canadiens (19-14-9) 0 0 0 – – 0
Senators (15-26-4) 1 1 2 – – 4
Scorers Goalies
  • MTL: no scoring
  • OTT: Zub (3), Batherson (14), Batherson (15)-PPG, Zaitsev (2)
  • MTL: Price (L) 12-7-5
  • OTT: Murray (W) 8-13-1

Stars of the Game

Official NHL Three Stars
NHL3stars
  1. Drake Batherson  OTT
  2. Shane Pinto  OTT
  3. Artem Zub  OTT

Watch

Video Highlights

What Did They Say?

Post-game Quotes

Dominique Ducharme

  • “We lacked execution at times during the game. We didn’t generate enough traffic in front of Matt Murray. I’d say those were the main reasons why we didn’t score.”

Carey Price

  • “It would be nice to get a lead early, just to get some confidence going and get those feel-good starts. It’s all about just building momentum right off the start of the game.”

Ben Chiarot

  • “I think we need to create more chances around the net. It doesn’t seem like we get very many dangerous chances. Before I came back in the lineup, being upstairs, you get to watch kind of from a different angle. That’s something I noticed, that we need to generate some more offense and more high-danger chances and get the puck to the slot a little more. You’re not going to win many games scoring one or two goals. That’s going to be key for us.”

Paul Byron

  • “Our starts to games aren’t where they should be. The Senators were skating faster and winning the battles. They wanted the puck more than we did. We played better after the first 10 minutes. We’re capable of playing a lot better. It’s very disappointing. It was a big game for us. We have to find a way to bring more energy and create chances. When opposing teams score the first goal, it changes a lot for us. Starts to games are an important aspect for us.”

Quotes courtesy of NHL.com

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1 COMMENT

  1. salut rick
    thanks for the call/post-game
    sens play us tough eh,
    its their stanley cup when they face-off against us!
    regardless,better effort required
    gotta show-up eh
    when you are a pro,you gotta show-up!!!
    coach can only do so much too eh
    players gotta self-motivate as well
    put this one away,prepare for the western trip
    string some wins together and our dry-cleaning bill wont be so high eh
    ps,my divided hockey family says we made a mistake with mete,
    “should have kept him.he’s a good little player.and he’s only 22.”
    merci pour l’ecoute
    soyez prudent
    guy soit toujours proche et present en pensees et prieres

Comments are closed.