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Two weeks ago, the Montreal Canadiens put together a dominant performance in drubbing the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2. The Leafs vowed revenge Saturday night. With three straight wins, they believed they were playing far better hockey than what they showed at the Bell Centre.
The Leafs were wrong as they were outplayed for most of it, but third-stringer Dennis Hildeby played over his head to force a shootout. In the shootout, Cole Caufield went roof, Alexandre Texier used a filthy one-handed deke, and Jakub Dobes stopped two of three shots as the Canadiens won 2-1.
Wilde Horses
The Canadiens have the best power play in the entire league on the road. Since head coach Martin St. Louis went back to Ivan Demidov on the first unit, it has been on a roll. Demidov with Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky and Lane Hutson is a power play that could last a decade.
The game needed a goal and the Canadiens power play came through with it. It was Demidov in the high slot who made a pass so good that it had two chances with Slafkovsky and Caufield in its pathway. Slafkovsky missed, but Caufield didn’t as he tapped in his 15th of the season.
That’s a point in 10 straight games for Caufield. His record is 11 straight games. He can tie it Sunday night against the St. Louis Blues at the Bell Centre.
The Canadiens started to take over after the goal. They had two quick chances with Ivan Demidov and then a breakaway for Zach Bolduc. Dennis Hildeby was strong in the Toronto net. He’s the third stringer for the Leafs, but his numbers are excellent, as was his work Saturday.
Alexandre Texier had another strong game on the second line with Demidov and Oliver Kapanen. It’s interesting because he didn’t look all that good on the fourth line to start, but he is clearly a player who needs to be on the ice with some creative talent.
Texier is stronger on the wall than expected. He wins most of his puck battles, and is ready with a good outlet when he does. It’s difficult to imagine his future when everyone returns because he would be relegated to a bottom-six role, but, for now, he’s a welcome addition to a team thin due to injuries.
Only one month ago, Slafkovsky didn’t seem to have a plan when he got the puck. His processor simply wasn’t moving fast enough for the NHL. He would get it, and then often do nothing as the opposition closed on him too quickly. He, also, made many passes without a plan.
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In one of the fastest transformations ever seen, Slafkovsky is suddenly a player in complete command of the ice. He’s making passes through four bodies across the ice. He has an awareness and vision that is second to none. He is winning pucks. He is leaning into checks with his hip. He’s protecting pucks with his right knee while he pulls it to the left. He’s gone from stoppable to unstoppable.
In the third period, with the Canadiens up by one, Slafkovsky even made a massive defensive play working hard on the back check to break up a Leafs odd-man advantage.
This is Slafkovsky’s breakout moment. It’s happening exactly when you would expect to for a young player. It’s season four. When the player arrives in the NHL at 20, the breakout is likely season three, if it is going to happen. If the player enters the NHL at 18, it can take to season four. And here we are.
Wilde Goats
With less than 10 minutes left in the game, leading by one, there’s really only one thing that sticks out as unacceptable. It’s to allow a breakaway shorthanded goal. That’s exactly what the Canadiens did. It was a flawless night defensively until that moment. Montreal had allowed only 10 shots in two periods.
The Canadiens had the game completely in control, but this is what young teams will do. They don’t have the experience to take it to the final buzzer properly. Being a veteran team means having the ability to massage a lead without any big errors.
Veteran teams make sure that it’s boring and congested. There are no odd-man rushes allowed, and the building is dead. No chances are taken offensively. Every rush sends the puck in deep so the other team has to travel 200 feet for a goal. Each player makes sure they are on the defensive side of the puck in a 50-50 battle.
It’s not fun hockey. The challenge for a young player is to understand that his mindset has to change. He has to stop thinking about what brilliance he can create offensively, and start thinking about how to make sure nothing bad happens. It takes experience to become this player.
The entire game turned on that shorthanded goal. The Leafs were ripe to be beaten. Instead, the Leafs took that momentum and played their best hockey of the night after that tally.
Wilde Cards
The first caveat that needs to be said is that players passed over in their draft year completely, then go 81st overall the next year do not make the NHL 99 times out of 100.
However, let’s have a chat about that one time.
Canadiens pick Bryce Pickford is absolutely tearing it up in the Western Hockey League for the Medicine Hat Tigers this season. Pickford keeps expanding his portfolio and is suddenly looking like he has a shot at a pro career.
Pickford is a right-shot defenceman with some size. He is dominating the WHL. He may just be the best defender in that league. His plus-minus is plus 28. He has 17 goals and 16 assists for 33 points. He brings a ton of offensive talent to his game and he’s defending with huge confidence.
Pickford is proud and certain of his abilities. He turned down an offer from the Detroit Red Wings to go to their camp after he wasn’t drafted in 2024. He wouldn’t have had any leverage if he did that, so he took a chance on himself that he could be drafted the next year.
The odds are still against Pickford, of course. But given the way he keeps growing his game, it is enticing to keep the commitment to him strong. Expect him to say “yes” to the Laval Rocket when his Medicine Hat Tigers playoff is over.
He is an exciting prospect. At 19, there is still a ton of road and possibility ahead for Pickford to keep raising his chances.
Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.
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