Canadiens fireplace too many blanks in 5-2 loss to Canucks at Bell Centre

Article content material

The Canadiens’ Juraj Slafkovsky had a game-high seven pictures and teammate Josh Anderson had six in Sunday night time’s sport in opposition to the Vancouver Canucks on the Bell Centre, however neither of them was in a position to rating.

That’s a part of the rationale why the Canadiens misplaced 5-2, dropping their file to 7-6-2.

Article content material

The Canadiens’ file would most likely be higher if Slafkovsky had a couple of aim this season and if Anderson had scored any objectives.

Article content material

Conor Garland, Ilya Mikheyev, Dakota Joshua, Brock Boeser and Phillip Di Giuseppe scored for the Canucks, who improved to 11-3-1, with the final two objectives empty-netters. Mike Matheson (energy play) and Arber Xhekaj scored for the Canadiens. The Canucks outshot the Canadiens 37-32.

After a scoreless first interval, the Canucks obtained three objectives within the second interval earlier than Matheson obtained the Canadiens on the board at 6:46 of the third interval along with his fourth aim of the season. The Canucks then obtained their first empty-net aim at 18:30 earlier than Xhekaj scored his first of the season at 19:11 after which the Canucks obtained their second empty-netter with 18 seconds left on the clock.

The seven pictures for Slafkovsky had been a profession excessive for the 19-year-old in his second NHL season.

“I do know I obtained to shoot extra,” he stated after the sport. “It’s coming from me, it’s coming from just about everybody round me. They’re making an attempt to inform me to shoot. … I’m making an attempt to shoot extra.”

Slafkovsky has just one aim in his final 36 video games courting again to final season. Anderson scored 21 objectives in 69 video games final season, however he’s nonetheless on the lookout for his first this season after 15 video games. Final season, the longest stretch Anderson went with no aim was seven video games.

Article content material

Article content material

The factor is, Anderson has been enjoying very effectively this season and is getting a lot of probabilities to attain. He had a fantastic likelihood 4 minutes into the third interval in opposition to the Canucks on a partial breakaway when he was slashed by defenceman Tyler Myers, who was penalized. It was the league-leading 14th penalty that Anderson has drawn this season.

“He’s working, skating effectively,” head coach Martin St. Louis stated about Anderson. “He’s obtained a very good perspective. He’s drawing a whole lot of penalties. … I do know Josh may be very streaky and when he’s going to get one he’s going to get quite a bit. It’s simply to try to discover the primary one.”

Article content material

Anderson can attempt once more when the Canadiens play the Calgary Flames on Tuesday on the Bell Centre (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM). So can Slafkovsky.

“I believe they’re hungry to search out some success,” St. Louis stated about Anderson and Slafkovsky. “However they’ve a very good perspective about it. I believed Slaf performed a extremely good sport tonight.

“Life’s onerous,” the coach added. “Typically you do every little thing proper and I all the time say successful’s not loyal. You are able to do every little thing proper, it doesn’t imply you’re going to win, and proper now Josh is doing a whole lot of good issues, he’s simply not successful proper now. Typically you nearly need to giggle at it just a little bit and simply maintain at it.”

Article content material

Rafaël Harvey-Pinard can be on the lookout for his first aim this season after enjoying in 12 video games. Cole Caufield is in a little bit of a scoring stoop with just one aim within the final eight video games and he had solely two pictures in opposition to the Canucks. Three of his 5 objectives this season have are available three-on-three extra time. Captain Nick Suzuki completed minus-4 in opposition to the Canucks.

On the intense aspect for the Canadiens, they went 1-for-2 on the facility play in opposition to Vancouver and killed off each Canucks energy performs. The Canadiens have now scored no less than one power-play aim in 12 of their 15 video games they usually rank tenth within the NHL on the facility play with a 23 per cent success price. Xhekaj’s late aim means the Canadiens have scored no less than two objectives in each sport this season.

Article content material

If Slafkovsky and Anderson can begin scoring that will surely assist the Canadiens, who had been coming off a formidable 3-2 extra time win over the Boston Bruins Saturday night time on the Bell Centre.

“We’ve performed some actually good hockey and we’ve proven that after we’re on our sport we will play with anybody,” goalie Jake Allen stated after stopping 32 of the 35 pictures he confronted from the Canucks. “It’s doing it constantly. That’s going to be the largest problem for us all year long and constructing the subsequent couple of years. However it’s a very good first constructing block for the primary month, little doubt.”

Allen additionally had reward for Anderson.

“The factor is, he’s enjoying superb,” the goalie stated. “You’ll be able to’t discredit him for effort, something. He’s been considered one of our greatest gamers all 12 months. It’s simply the character of the sport … it’s the character of the beast. It’s simply s— luck. It’s going to return. He’s enjoying too good for it to not come. He works so onerous on daily basis. It’s robust on him however, on the identical time, I believe he’s sufficiently old now he realizes he’s doing the precise issues. It’s going to interrupt.”

The earlier the higher for the Canadiens.

scowan@postmedia.com

twitter.com/StuCowan1

Article content material

Article content material