Featured

Canadiens’ Quick Hits: Monahan, Gallagher, Slafkovsky & Caufield

Although the Montreal Canadiens lost to the St. Louis Blues, there was some good news from the team. Who played well for Montreal?

by
Old Prof
November 6, 2023

On Saturday, the St. Louis Blues earned a 6-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens. For the Blues (who are now 5-4-1) it was their first set of back-to-back wins this season. They had beaten the New Jersey Devils on Friday by a score of 4-1.

With the loss, the Canadiens fell to a record of 5-4-2. Juraj Slafkovsky, Brendan Gallagher, and Nick Suzuki all scored, but the game ended with a third straight loss for Montreal. Goalie Samuel Montembeault made 29 saves in the loss. Although the Canadiens know they have to improve their play on the road, they remain optimistic about the season. Their next game is against Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

Quick Hit One: Sam Montembeault: Standing Tall in a Tough Game

Sam Montembeault made 29 saves in the game, but the Canadiens suffered a 6-3 loss to St. Louis. Montembeault was solid in goal, making strong saves to prevent the game from getting out of hand. Despite the challenging defensive efforts in front of him, Montembeault maintained his composure. On the season, he holds a 2-2-1 record with 17 goals against and a .894 save percentage. His last win came on October 26 against Columbus.

The Canadiens have been in the rumor mill with respect to their goaltending and Montembeault’s name is out there.

Quick Hit Two: Canadiens Goal Scorers in the 6-3 Loss

Nick Suzuki ended the game by scoring a goal on two shots. His goal was a result of a deflection from a shot by Cole Caufield. After a goalless start to the season, Suzuki has now scored three goals in his last five games. The combination of Suzuki and Caufield, now joined by new linemate Juraj Slafkovsky, generated most of the Canadiens’ scoring chances in this game.

Brendan Gallagher had a strong game, scoring one goal and adding an assist in the 6-3 loss. He fired four shots on the net. Gallagher has been on a two-game streak of recording multiple points. In 11 games, he’s collected seven points, three of which came on the power play.

Juraj Slafkovsky contributed significantly to the game. He scored a power-play goal and registered four shots. Despite the disappointing loss, Slafkovsky’s goal marked a positive takeaway from the game. Coach Martin St. Louis promoted Slafkovsky to the top line with Suzuki and Caufield, a decision that led to increased scoring chances and high-danger opportunities for the Canadiens.

Quick Hit Three: Other Canadiens Contributors

Sean Monahan continued his impressive point streak by adding an assist and recording one shot on goal. Monahan’s assist helped Gallagher score Montreal’s second goal. His point streak now stands at five games. He leads the Canadiens with six goals and ranks second with 10 points in 11 games.

Caufield registered an assist and fired seven shots on goal playing over 20 minutes of ice time. His shot from the point was turned into a goal by his linemate Suzuki. Caufield extended his lead as the team’s top point scorer to 11 points. He also leads the team in shots on goal with 47.

Cole Caufield Upper Deck Montreal Canadiens card

Alex Newhook played a significant role with the man advantage. He recorded an assist, a shot on goal, and a blocked shot. He set up Slafkovsky’s power-play goal. While Newhook had been on the same line as Slafkovsky during even-strength play, head coach St. Louis tweaked the line combinations for this game, with Newhook playing on the wing alongside Christian Dvorak and Josh Anderson.

Other News from the Canadiens

Christian Dvorak made his season debut for the Canadiens after recovering from offseason knee surgery. In Saturday’s game, Dvorak registered a shot on goal and blocked one shot. As noted, he centered a line with Newhook and Anderson.