Post Game 38: The dreaded first game back

Things couldn’t have gone much worse in the Montreal Canadiens first game back from their seven game road trip.

They allowed four goals in the third period and lost 6-1 to a Buffalo Sabres team that has been struggling to find consistency in the first half of the season.

Local product Devon Levi played well in goal for Buffalo making 32-saves in the game, including a highlight reel stop in the third period on Cole Caufield.

And of course Jeff Skinner loves playing at the Bell Centre, with his four points Thursday night, he has recorded 14-points in his last four games in Montreal.

Let’s get to the talking points and there wasn’t much on the plus side.

Pluses:

• The score didn’t become lopsided until Jack Quinn’s goal in the third period that put Buffalo up 3-2. Going into the final frame, the Canadiens were in a good spot for a tight finish. Montreal was quite good in the first period and out-chanced the Sabres.
• Jayden Struble had his first blunder since getting called up to the NHL back on November 22nd and his mistake resulted in Buffalo’s fourth goal of the game. But he was the best of the seven defenseman in Montreal’s line up and delivered monster hits in the first period on both Peyton Krebs and Zach Benson. He was one of the only players with jump.
• Joel Armia scored a shorthanded goal, it was his 9th career shorthanded marker and 100th point with the Montreal Canadiens. Armia stripped Rasmus Dahlin of the puck and wired it past Levi for Montreal’s only goal of the game.
• Devon Levi was named first star of the game in his first start at the Bell Centre in front of family and friends.

Minuses:

• Mike Matheson and David Savard struggled while on the ice together. The defense as a whole wasn’t great but they were the two that stood out the most and it was for all the wrong reasons.
• The penalty kill is awful and the two goals it let up on Thursday night displayed just how easy the Canadiens make things on the others team’s powerplay. Identical goals from the opposite side of the ice, passing through the box is as easy as can be and players are unmarked all over the ice. This isn’t a personnel issue…
• 11 forwards and 7 defenseman is fine if you’re forced into it for a game or two. Three games is enough, the roster has to get sorted.
• With the loss the Canadiens cancelled out the strong game against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night.
• Before the game, Montreal announced that Christian Dvorak will miss the rest of the season with a torn pectoral muscle that requires surgery.

Things don’t get easier for the Canadiens with the Eastern Conference’s second ranked team the New York Rangers visiting the Bell Centre on Saturday at 7pm.