Call of the Wilde: Montreal Canadiens handle the Toronto Maple Leafs

When the Montreal Canadiens got off to a fast start to take first place in the Atlantic Division, the hockey world took notice that it was speed that killed their opposition. The opposition realized it’s hard to match speed, so they didn’t. They made it physical.

The smallish Canadiens are being slowed down by big bodies with angry attitudes. It’s the classic speed versus brawn battle with Montreal needing more brawn for some balance. The Canadiens sent a message that they know this by calling up Florian Xhekaj.

Montreal then lined him up with Jake Evans who did not suffer a concussion on a high-hit from Tom Wilson.  After that hit, no one challenged Wilson for the elbow, and/or charging.

Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble didn’t have a single hit against the Washington Capitals in that game. Organizationally, the Canadiens were already aware that they didn’t have enough size after their playoff series last spring. November has proven it to them even more that they need grit.

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They met the Leafs knowing they needed to be tougher while still relying on that speed, and that’s exactly what the Canadiens did. Montreal started by hitting, slashing, checking every Leaf that moved, then they finished the work by being speedy. The Canadiens posted a 5-2 win.

Wilde Horses 

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The perfect start for a skating club is to establish that you won’t be intimidated in a quest for that speed. Fight first to skate later. Anger before elation. Early, it was Josh Anderson with a big hit, Alexander Carrier slashed a Leaf right across the back of the leg. Montreal was earning penalties all over the sheet.

None were called, until finally Jayden Struble was tagged leading to a power play for Toronto. This will happen, but kill it, and change the tenor of the game. The Canadiens did kill it, then they went to work on part two of an age-old hockey formula.

If one is old enough, they’ll remember the 1970s Canadiens. They were known as the Flying Frenchmen, but they were also tough as any club around. Ask Gary Dornhoeffer who was hammered by Larry Robinson so hard, the boards also were injured on the hit. Those Flying Frenchmen were faster and tougher than the Philadelphia Flyers when they sent the Broad Street Bullies philosophy into the history books.

This is what the Canadiens want to be — the Flying Frenchmen — but it’s a two part process. It’s goals and toughness. They found two tallies in the first period. Players doing the flying like Cole Caufield winning the blue line, and Nick Suzuki with a silky pass, to Lane Hutson with all the creativity that hockey has ever seen, made it 1-0.

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Only 1:22 later, it was two more creative defencemen doing yeoman work. Ivan Demidov with a helper on a goal that Mike Matheson set up Noah Dobson. It was the best 20 minutes in a long time. Even Jakub Dobes made 11 saves.

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The next 20 minutes made the previous look pedestrian. Juraj Slafkovsky was an absolute force. On the third goal, he slowed the play down perfectly letting it develop while winning a hectare of space. This calm, patience, and understanding is what the organization has been waiting for for three years. Slafkovsky fed it to Demidov who fed Dobson for his second goal.

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A short time later, Slafkovsky split the defence for a breakaway. Another time he was tapping his stick on the ice demanding the puck, because he knew he could do something special with it. Slafkovsky and Demidov have great chemistry together. They must stay together.

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The Canadiens had a delayed power play in the second period coming their way, and they kept possession for 1:12 peppering Joseph Woll. He kept strong holding the Leafs in it until Josh Anderson ripped a shot upstairs for his first of two. Florian Xhekaj earned his first NHL point with an assist.

Florian also got into a fight in the third period. He and Dakota Mermis were both throwing haymakers. The toughness showed again in its importance. If they’re going to allow fighting and the intimidation that comes with it in the NHL, then don’t be second best.

Wilde Goats 

The Canadiens had a 16-1 shot advantage in the second period at one point. This goats section has been quite full in November. This is an opportunity to leave it empty, and keep it positive for a change. Everyone enjoyed the positive of Jakub Dobes stopping 24 of 26 shots, so this section will be happily ignored.

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There’s a narrative that the Canadiens are playing terrible defensive hockey. That it’s so many chances allowed that is the cause of their malaise.

That narrative is absolutely false.

The reason they are struggling is almost entirely goaltending. The Canadiens were first in the Atlantic, second in the East and third in the league before both goalies went south.

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In November, Samuel Montembeault is actually the stronger of the two with an abysmal .860 save percentage. Jakub Dobes’ emotional night in New Jersey was the start of an .820 run this month. This is not even junior calibre goaltending.

In the more advanced stat for goalies, the best statistic is goals saved above expected. In the last month, Jakub Dobes and Jordan Binnington are the two worst goalies. Through the entire season, the worst goalies are Samuel Montembeault, Linus Ullmark, and the shockingly dreadful Binnington.

The argument is that the Canadiens goalies are that bad because they have to face a difficult high quality of shot. It’s simply not true. The Canadiens have the eighth lowest total of high danger scoring chances allowed. They are also top-third of the league in medium and low danger scoring chances allowed.

Collectively, the group is keeping chances down. This is a far cry from last season when at the quarter point they were among the league’s worst defensive teams.

Last October and November, Montreal was winning games mostly because of strong goaltending. This first two months, they are losing because of goaltending. Early last season, the goalies routinely faced 35 to 45 shots as the Canadiens own zone was an absolute mess.

However, this November, Dobes didn’t have a 30 shot game against. Montembeault had one against the Flyers when they peppered him with 42. The Capitals game was also loose with 35 shots on the goalies. Two poor defensive games and that’s all.

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No doubt many would be shocked to learn that the expected goals in the 7-0 Dallas shellacking was 2.99 to 2.62. That night Dobes was a minus three in goals expected and Montembeault was a minus one. That was a pick ‘em game in chance quality, but the Canadiens players were embarrassed because of brutal goaltending from their own two and a special night for Casey DeSmith for Dallas.

Here’s the good news: Just as Dobes isn’t as good as the .940 he put in during his hot start in October, he also isn’t as bad as .820 he is doing recently. Same for Montembeault, as this career .900 goalie is going to revert back close to that number…eventua

It’s rare that over the course of a long season that goalies don’t find their number in the end. Martin St. Louis is ready for a reversion to the mean as soon as now.

Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.