THE Montreal Canadians were died last throughout the National Hockey League in November. With a victory over the Detroit Red Wings at the Bell Center on Tuesday evening, they would have a 96% chance of making the playoffs.
However, for the Red Wings, this competition was their season. The Montreal task was to correspond to their despair. For two periods, they did not do it. In the third, three remained unanswered for Montreal to win 4-1.
Wilde horses
During the first two periods, Samuel Montembeault was the only reason why the competition was close. The penalties in the first 40 minutes were 33-12 for Detroit. Montembeault was a huge 1.91 goals saved above expected during the first two periods. The game should not have been close.
After Montembeault kept Montreal there, the Canadians equaled it at the end of the second period thanks to the finishing capacity of Cole Caufield. He fought for space in the niche to slide his 37th goal from the season at home. This is the second best total goal this century for Montreal, behind only the 39 goals of Max Pacioretty in 2014.
During the third period, Lane Hutson experienced a change that maybe Lane Hutson can have in this league at the moment. He had three Red Wings making 360s trying to understand where he was going to go afterwards. The 20 seconds with the washer on a rope ended with a pass to Josh Anderson widely open to give the head to Montreal. He’s a special player.
Canadians took the lead in a lucky moment. Albert Johansson lost his helmet and was trying to pick him up, which left Josh Anderson alone in front. Not disputed, he typed a pass from Christian Dvorak at home.
Montreal defended himself firmly after that, protecting Montembeault much better in the third. Kaiden Guhle had a set of monsters in successes, blocking shots and making solid decisions.
The Canadians concluded it with two empty net goals. Brendan Gallagher and Nick Suzuki both scored late markers.
Wilde goats
The season was at stake for the Red Wings. Canadians have room for the playoffs they want. They knew that a loss was essentially the end of their season. They played with this despair in their minds.
Montreal did not match it. Montembeault is the reason why this segment is empty. He stole the game. His goals saved above expected 2.91. Montembeault changed the situation. Victory could be a clinitor in the playoffs. A different hero every night for Canadians.
Wilde cards
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It is an April shock from Canadians. The best prospect that is not in the NHL today is no longer Ivan Demidov. He is now in the NHL as a member of the Canadians after having signed an entry -level contract of three years which begins immediately. Demidov is on the way to Montreal.
Demidov has just concluded the biggest rescue season more one in the history of the KHL with SKA Saint-Petersburg with 19 goals and 30 assists in 65 games. He overshadowed the brand defined by Matvei Michkov the previous year. Demidov was taken fifth in the general classification of the draft last year in what is described as a huge flight. The scouts say he will be a star, if not a superstar.
Ska could have kept Demidov until May 31, when his contract expired, but the Roman owner Rotenberg wanted him to have the opportunity to play in the NHL this year.
GM Kent Hughes and Rotenberg agreed that if Demidov was not the NHL next season, he will return to Russia. He will not go to the Laval rocket for development next year.
This is an easy dealership for Hughes, because no one expects Demidov to fight so powerfully that he does not make Canadians out of the camp. Everything is possible, however, it is therefore an intelligent decision by Rotenberg to negotiate this warning.
For Canadians, they get help immediately on their list. Expect that Demidov gets training, then to do next to Patrik Laine and Alex Newhook on the club’s second line. The second line was a mines field all season. It has a chance to change now.
When everyone is healthy, it would make Emil Heineman return to the fourth line, Oliver Kapanen, Michael Pezzetta in the press box and Joshua Roy in Laval.
The news of Demidovs have certainly moved the Tyler Thorpe News to the rear burner.
After Thorpe had a surprisingly solid training camp for a fifth round draft choice, the Canadiens management team was attentive to know if he could follow this with a strong season in the Western Hockey League. He did it.
It is early to suggest that Thorpe is a flight at this stage, but the results are good so far, so Hughes pursues it at the next level to see if Thorpe can continue to progress.
Thorpe has set up a large number in Vancouver with the Giants with 27 goals and 25 assists in 68 games. It also has a body profile which often succeeds in the NHL even more than a junior level. The NHL game goes more to the battles of the washer and the strong work in tight spaces. Thorpe excels in this area. It measures 6 feet 5 inches, 210 pounds.
Thorpe has signed an entry -level agreement with the Canadians on Tuesday morning that starts next season. He reports to Laval where he will play the rest of this season during a professional test of Lah. This is an exceptional opportunity for Thorpe, and which was probably not in the cards so quickly, if he did not have such a good camp looking for professionals.
Thorpe is only 19 years old, so it’s already a fairly important step, and there is a chance that it will be surpassed at the American hockey league so early in its development.
Credit to Canadians because they continue to find diamonds at the end of the project. It is very unlikely that a fifth round generally makes the league. There is often only one player to have a career in the league at each draft of the fifth round. The success rate is only five percent of this round.
David Reinbacher was back on the ice after taking off two weeks for his knee. No details at all Canadians what the knee suffers, or if he suffers at all. This could be an abundance of prudence, or it could be a setback. No word yet when he then plays for the Laval rocket.
It should also be noted that Jacob Fowler will train for the first time with the rocket on Wednesday after having signed his entry -level contract last week. Cayden Primeau has been stellar in the net since its demotion, so an interesting battle promises to be in the net while the rocket tries to capture the first place of the whole league during the section, then to make a long race in the playoffs.
It says a lot about the reconstruction that the parents’ team is about to make the playoffs while the minor league team is the best of all hockey. Now the objective is to transform all this organizational depth into a second -line center.
Brian Wilde, a sports writer based in Montreal, brings you Call of the Wilde on Globalnews.ca After each Canadians’ game.
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