Canadiens’ talent saves them a point in ‘outlier’ game versus Flyers

MONTREAL — Itâ€s the 36th minute of a game the Montreal Canadiens are playing poorly in when Lane Hutson makes a deft play to beat his man and hold the offensive blue line.

Hutson then passes the puck to Juraj Slafkovsky, who one-touches it to Ivan Demidov, and thatâ€s when Demidov does what no one in the building expects him to do. Least of all Dan Vladar, the Philadelphia Flyers goaltender, whoâ€s already bought the deceptive Russianâ€s disinformation in this game.

Demidov sells pass to Nick Suzuki, delays, then roofs the puck for the goal that gives the Canadiens their first lead of the night.

They were down 3-0 to the Flyers before eight minutes had been played Tuesday and, as their coach, Martin St. Louis, ended up saying after the game was lost 5-4 in a shootout, they went from bad to worse.

“I didnâ€t like being down 3-0,†he said, “but I was more disappointed with how we responded to being down 3-0 while we were still in the first.

“Our details werenâ€t there at all.â€

But the talent of the Canadiens popped regardless.

Itâ€s the luxury theyâ€ve been waiting to possess for years, and now itâ€s here. The Canadiens finally have threats all over the ice. Threats that enable them to turn a horrible performance into a precious point in the standings.

Samuel Montembeault helped.

He made 31 straight saves — many of them otherworldly — after allowing three goals on the first six shots of the game. He bought the Canadiens the opportunity to rely on their talent.

The fans at Bell Centre jeered Montembeault in the first period, but were chanting his name with less than 12 minutes remaining in the third period, after he made a big stop on Travis Konecny.

Montembeault made another one on him in overtime and was only beat in the shootout by the NHLâ€s best specialist, Trevor Zegras, who also displayed his talent to set up two of the three goals the Flyers scored at the start of the game.

For as ugly as it was for the Canadiens through those first 20 minutes, belief reigned in their room.

“Three goals is a lot in this league, but we feel confident with what we can do at our best,†said Hutson.

Well, Hutson started talking about how the Canadiens generate a lot of opportunity when they play within their structure.

But he concluded: “Sometimes our skill takes over, too, and we have some skilled guys that could make them pay for their mistakes.â€

St. Louis said the Canadiens never played within their structure in this game. He called this game — their 13th of the season — “an outlier.â€

But the coach acknowledged that being able to look down his bench and see multiple players who could still turn the outcome in his favour was reassuring.

St. Louis couldnâ€t have had that feeling through the first three years of this rebuild. Itâ€s been a slow burn to this point.

But itâ€s been a steady one, and the benefits — and bonus points — are now being reaped.

They donâ€t come without Montembeault stepping up after another tough start.

They donâ€t come without a few big penalty kills.

But they definitely donâ€t come without elite talent rising the way it did on Tuesday.

It started with a great shift for former third-overall pick Kirby Dach, who got the Canadiens on the board in the fourth minute of the second period.

Demidovâ€s first deception followed, when he faked a point pass to Hutson and slid a seam pass to Nick Suzuki for a power-play goal that extended Suzukiâ€s NHL-leading point streak to 12 games and kept his power-play unit scorching hot.

Hutson embarrassed two Flyers on his way to setting up Dachâ€s second goal, which tied the game 3-3 with 6:32 to go in the second period.

And then Demidovâ€s laser upstairs a little over two minutes later was the seventh goal Montrealâ€s power play scored in 13 attempts itâ€s had since Demidov was promoted to the top unit.

“That power-play unit is clicking pretty well right now,†said Dach. “They seem to make every pass, every play. Itâ€s pretty fun to watch.â€

Unless youâ€re trying to defend it.

Defending the Canadiens, in general, doesnâ€t seem fun at all. Even when theyâ€re off their game, which hasnâ€t been often at all.

Itâ€s why Montrealâ€s record is 9-3-1.

Goaltending has been strong, and excellent when Jakub Dobes has been in the net. Defensively, the Canadiens have been relatively solid, with Tuesdayâ€s game bumping them to 16th in goals against per game. And offensively, theyâ€ve produced 3.69 goals per game, which is second only to the Winnipeg Jets.

Suzuki is tied for third in the league in points with 19. Cole Caufield is among four players to have recorded 10 goals. Slafkovsky has scored six.

And then thereâ€s Hutson, who has a point per game.

Demidov has 12 points in 13 games, which is more than any other rookie. And heâ€s a class apart in how he plays.

“Just the way he creates time and space for not only himself, but his linemates, how quick he is off his edges and understands where he wants guys to be, I think he dictates the game that way,†said Dach. “Itâ€s not like heâ€s the most vocal, or telling guys where to be, but with his play you kind of understand where you need to be to get pucks and heâ€ll put ‘em on your tape and you just go right and shoot them.

“Lanerâ€s the same thing. Those two guys just seem to kind of make plays and wow you every time youâ€re on the ice, and weâ€re definitely lucky to have both of them.â€

Without them, you can only fantasize about erasing a three-goal deficit in a game youâ€re playing terribly.

But the Canadiens have the talent to bolster belief now, and thatâ€s the main thing — outside the point in the standings — theyâ€re taking from Tuesdayâ€s game.

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