Thirties, belly, brats, mortgage. As the cost of living continues to rise, attending a Canadiens game at the Bell Center has become a luxury. So if you can only afford to sit at this venue once a season, make sure you choose the right party wisely.
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Instead of the loyal Habs fan actually paying out of pocket for the hundreds of dollars such a trip costs, I would immediately cross the games where the Canadian returns from a trip from the list. Especially when the opponent is playing their third game away from home in four evenings.
The Florida Panthers and Martin St-Louis’ team presented themselves under these conditions on Thursday evening. And it did what it did.
A boring game.
Spectators hardly had the opportunity to celebrate. Even the mascot party organized by Youppi! wasn’t worth five cents.
So it was a quick Thursday evening at the Bell Centre.
The fuel ran out
The Habs failed against one of the best teams in the Eastern Association. After a 5-1 defeat, the locals were still in the game for 40 minutes.
“The effort was there. There were no passengers this evening. We were engaged, alert. I’m proud of my team,” said the Canadian head coach.
The channel landed in the eighth second of the third period when Sam Bennett scored his team’s second goal.
Brilliant up to that point, Cayden Primeau seemed surprised by the shot. He also could have looked better on Evan Rodrigues’ shot. A throw at the entrance of the zone that grazed Primeau’s glove.
From that moment on we sensed that the American was a bit shaken and his teammates noticed that the gas tank was empty.
Additionally, the Panthers’ five goals were scored on the glove side.
Eight games without a goal
The Canadian might not have had a better fate, but he would have increased his chances of success if he had been able to take advantage of the six numerical advantages the Panthers offered him.
To shake off the lethargy that undermines his massive attack, Martin St-Louis had also decided to remove this responsibility from Josh Anderson’s job description.
Until he retired to the locker room in the third period because of an apparent left knee or ankle injury, Alex Newhook took his place in the first session, making way for Jesse Ylönen in the second wave.
The experience was no more conclusive, as the Habs’ massive attack was blanked for the eighth straight game (0 of 23).
In fact, Martin St-Louis’ men only had one real chance to score with a man advantage. At the very end it was a penalty for Aaron Ekblad.
Not only did the Canadian fail to hit the target, but he also missed two chances, being awarded a penalty shortly after his massive attack began.
Too much lethargy
In attack, we may need the awakening of Anderson, who is still looking for the first goal, of Nick Suzuki, who has been blanked for the ninth game in a row, of Juraj Slafkovsky (only one goal in his last 12 games), of Christian Dvorak (only one goal since his return), Sean Monahan (13 games without a goal) and Brendan Gallagher (unremarkable for nine games).
It’s too much lethargy at the same time. Especially if the security guard is having an ordinary evening.