Legendary goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was in town for one last time with his Minnesota Wild and he barely had to brake a sweat. The Montreal Canadiens were no match for the State of Hockey outfit, through 40 minutes, the Habs only had eight shots on net.
Dominant Teams Have Depth
While the Canadiens have been experiencing roller coasters since Emil Heineman was lost to a freak injury in Utah, the Wild have the kind of depth that allows them to perform even without key players. On Thursday night, they were able to suffocate Montreal without their best player Kirill Kaprizov and Marcus Johansson and Jonas Brodin were also missing. The first two were on the scoresheet when the Wild beat the Habs back in November, but they didn’t need them.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens lose a depth player and it throws the balance of the line up out of whack, add Guhle’s loss and the coming weeks could be trying to say the least.
Avoid Getting Frustrated
If there’s one thing hockey players do not like, it’s not getting the calls. When players feel wronged by the referees, it’s hard for them to keep their emotions in check. It’s even worse when a team is not having much puck luck.
For snipers like Cole Caufield and Patrik Laine, not being able to shoot is already cause for frustration, which makes it even harder not to let it take over. Laine was lucky not to get a call for unsportsmanlike conduct in the second.
When The Canadiens Finally Beat The Wild…
Montreal has lost 18 of it’s last 19 games against Minnesota, of course the lineup has changed a lot since Montreal last beat the Wild in 2019, but that kind of streak can still get in players’ head.
When the young Canadiens do manage to beat Minnesota, it will be an accomplishment in itself and it will do wonders for their confidence. Judging by how the Wild dominated the two games this season, it’s not going to happen anytime soon.
Martin St-Louis often says you have to play what the game gives you and Thursday night, the game didn’t give the Canadiens anything. Whenever Montreal had an opportunity to score and missed it, the Wild pounced and increased its lead. Another St-Louis classic would be to say the Wild doesn’t make a lot of action that helps the other team.
While Fleury didn’t have much to do in his last game on home soil, especially in the first 40 minutes, he did have to shine in the third, making a fantastic stop on Josh Anderson followed by a couple of important saves.
As for the Canadiens, they suffered a fourth loss in a row and will have time to reset and refocus before their next game, a matinee in Anaheim on Sunday afternoon.
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