Jesperi Kotkaniemi returns to Montreal Thursday night. Kotkaniemi, who was drafted 3rd overall in 2018 by the Canadiens, made his return to the Centre Bell after signing an offer sheet with the Carolina Hurricanes in the off-season. Kotkaniemi and the Hurricanes enter the game without a loss this season. Conversely, Montreal had yet to win a game this season. Montreal had been outscored 15-3 in 4 games, and had looked flat in every contest.
The Canadiens desperately needed a win to silence the critics in Montreal, and the return of Kotkaniemi was expected to provide the perfect spark. Kotkaniemi signing the offer sheet and leaving was interpreted as him abandoning the team that drafted him. The crowd at Centre Bell echoed this sentiment, loudly booing Kotkaniemi every time he stepped on the ice.
Montreal’s woes will continue though. The Habs only managed one goal as they dropped the matchup against the Hurricanes 4-1. Adding salt to the wound, Kotkaniemi scored his first goal of the year.
The First
Both teams started slow. Neither side could establish extended offensive pressure, and both teams seemed sloppy with the puck. Evidence of this came just minutes in, as Carolina defenseman Ian Cole mishandled a puck along the boards. Montreal’s Josh Anderson was able to take advantage and skate in for a breakaway opportunity. Carolina’s Frederik Andersen was equal to the task, and the game remained scoreless. After a series of penalties by both teams, Montreal found themselves on the powerplay and seemed to capitalize. Brendan Gallagher tipped a point shot from defenseman Chris Wideman past Andersen, but the goal would not stand. Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour challenged for goaltender interference, and upon review the goal was overturned. Gallagher was at the top of the goal crease when he tipped the puck, and though he made minimal contact with Andersen, it was ruled that Gallagher prevented Andersen from getting to the top of the crease.
The Second
Less than 30 seconds into period 2, Carolina would get the game’s first good goal on the powerplay. Carolina defenseman Tony DeAngelo batted down a Montreal clearing attempt at the blueline. He moved the puck to Teuvo Teravainen on the half-wall, who then found Sebastian Aho on a wonderful cross-ice pass. Aho one-timed the puck past goalie Jake Allen for a 1-0 lead.
Less than two minutes later, Andrei Svechnikov would make it 2-0. After another failed clearing attempt by the Habs, Hurricanes forward Martin Necas would find Svechnikov alone near the goal line. Despite this bad angle, Svechnikov lifted a beautiful snap shot over Jake Allen’s shoulder for the goal.
Montreal would find life halfway through the second, starting to control the puck and gain momentum. This culminated in the Canadiens’ first power play goal of the season with under 3 minutes left in the period. Nick Suzuki would take a Jonathan Drouin pass by the right circle and hold off a defender, eventually finding Tyler Toffoli in front of the net. Toffoli would win body position and one-time the puck past Freddy Andersen, making it a 2-1 game.
The Third
Montreal would continue their strong play well into the third, but public enemy number one Jesperi Kotkaniemi would put an end to that. Once again moving the puck from low to high, Carolina’s Sebastian Aho passed out of the corner to Brady Skjei at the blue line. Skjei one-timed the pass towards the net, and Kotkaniemi tipped the shot from the high slot area past Jake Allen to silence the crowd.
Though the Habs would press briefly, Sebastian Aho would add an empty-net dagger to seal the 4-1 road victory for the Hurricanes.
Montreal Takeaways
Montreal desperately needed to show life in this game. 3 goals in 4 games is nearly inexcusable after their run to the Cup Finals last season. They started flat against Carolina, and appeared to deflate after Gallagher had his goal called back. The Habs showed some signs of life about halfway through the second period, which was nice to see. But Montreal needs to put forth a complete effort.
Jake Allen had a nice game against the Hurricanes. But that means nothing if the team in front of him is unable to score. Monreal’s offense needs to wake up. They have now managed to be outscored 19-4 in 5 games for the worst goal differential in the NHL. Some of that lack of success is bad bounces. But head coach Dominique Ducharme also needs to put his players in positions to succeed. The easiest way to do this would be to simplify their game. Get pucks moving north-south, get shots on net, and fight for the dirty goals. Until the Habs are able to snap out of this scoring slump, that goal differential will only grow.
Carolina Takeaways
The Hurricanes are one of the hottest teams in the league. They have depth at every position, and are well-coached by the reigning Jack Adams awards winner. But their top line of Sebastian Aho-Teuvo Teravainen-Jesperi Kotkaniemi are dangerous every time they hit the ice. They have excellent chemistry, controlling the puck in the offensive zone and moving the puck well. All three Finns appear to be on the same wavelength, and that is tough to defend.
There was some controversy over the Hurricanes goaltending situation after they traded 2021 rookie breakout Alex Nedeljkovic to Detroit. But Frederik Andersen has filled that void nicely. Though Andersen went long stretches without being tested against Montreal, he was brilliant when called upon. For a team that has championship aspirations, goaltending is imperative. Though Andersen has had his fair share of letdowns in the past, he has given the Canes the safety net they’ve needed thus far to be successful.
Final Word
This was a game of two teams in two different places. Montreal has been abysmal, failing to win and looking listless in the process. Carolina, on the other hand, has played brilliant hockey and remains undefeated on the season. Whatever the season holds for these two teams, their feud is incredible. It was great to see Kotkaniemi silence the boos with a goal, and escape Montreal with the win.
All jokes aside, Montreal is in deep trouble. It may be early, but if the Habs don’t show signs of life soon, we may see the first coaching change of the season sooner rather than later.