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Habs Highlights: First Line Dominance Saves Canadiens

· Yahoo Sports

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The Montreal Canadiens were in Los Angeles to face the Kings on Saturday, aiming to win at least one game before the end of their California road trip.

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Despite being outshot and outchanced by a decent margin, Montreal’s first line came to play, powering the team to an important 4-3 comeback victory.

Let’s dive into the highlights!

The Man Was A Legend

The first period was a perfect example of what happens when only one team shows up.

The Kings outshot the Canadiens 16-1, which is the type of ratio that’s only acceptable when a mere mortal enters a drinking contest versus Wade Boggs, may he rest in peace.

Shockingly, or not, the Kings held a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission, an incredibly flattering scoreline for the road team. The only reason they did not produce a multi-goal lead was through the good graces of Jakub Dobes.

And since hockey is a cruel mistress, the Canadiens tied the game on just their third shot of the game, which only took place a few minutes into the second period.

It was Jake Evans’ ninth goal of the year.

First Line Impact

The recently reunited first line of Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, and Cole Caufield picked up where they left off on Friday, with Slafkovsky scoring his 22nd goal of the year late in the third period.

In previous years, I’m not quite certain Slafkovsky would have attempted to cut to the net, let alone take a shot afterwards, but we’re seeing a much more confident version of the 21-year-old forward this season.

The Other Shoe Drops

The good news for Montreal is that they did manage to establish a one-goal lead, despite being outplayed by a wide margin.

The bad news is that the lead was more fragile than a Fabergé egg fleeing the Soviet revolution.

Los Angeles kept pressing eventually establishing their own lead early in the third period.

One And Done

You’d be hard-pressed to argue the Habs deserved a myriad of powerplays on Saturday night, but the referees finally acquiesced, giving them their first man advantage of the game late in the third period.

Montreal’s biggest scoring threat on the powerplay, Slafkovsky, took advantage, scoring his 23rd goal of the year in the process

Cardiac Kids

As per usual, Montreal’s excellent offence bailed out its shambolic defence, as Suzuki registered his third point of the game, and his 21st goal of the season. This gave the Habs a 4-3 lead with less than five minutes remaining in the third period.

By now, we should be used to the Canadiens falling asleep for long stretches, waking up, and choosing violence.

It’s highly entertaining, though not recommended for any fans dealing with heart issues.

The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Tuesday, facing the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm ET.

All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted. Via Natural Stat Trick.

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