Canadiens players are growing weary of the inconsistent officiating that appears to be permeating the NHL this season.
And while they are careful to avoid being too critical and risking a fine, Brendan Gallagher addressed the issue following Thursday’s 5-1 loss to the Florida Panthers.
“It’s frustrating, obviously,” Gallagher said after the game in the team’s return to the Bell Centre following a five-game road trip. “I really don’t know what to say. You (can) get into trouble. They (officials) hear it and treat you differently, but (I’m) obviously frustrated.”
Gallagher, who must be around the net to succeed, took an interference penalty on Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky early in the third period. Florida scored its fourth goal on the ensuing power play.
But that was only one of several controversial calls, none bigger than the first-period tripping minor assessed against defenceman Gustav Forsling on Josh Anderson that easily could have been called a penalty shot. We’ll never know how that scenario would have played out, considering Anderson is still seeking his first goal 23 games into the season, has squandered numerous opportunities, and struggles finishing on breakaways.
Officiating aside, the Canadiens are faced with a number of issues before Saturday night’s (7 p.m., CBC, Citytv, TVA Sports, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM) home game against the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings (12-7-3) have won four of their last five since returning from the Global Series in Sweden and are making a serious push for their first playoff berth since 2016.
On Tuesday, the Wings signed 35-year-old veteran forward Patrick Kane to a one-year, US$2.75-million contract. Kane, who won three Stanley Cups over 15 seasons in Chicago, is coming off June hip surgery and isn’t expected to make his debut before next week.
While the Canadiens (10-11-2) fell below .500 with their most recent loss, they’re in the midst of playing seven of eight games at home. That’s the good news. The bad? Montreal’s Bell Centre record is 5-7-0.
The Canadiens played well for two periods against Florida, which reached the Cup final last season before losing to Vegas. But Montreal — and particularly goaltender Cayden Primeau — unravelled in the third. The visitors scored eight seconds into the period, then beat Primeau three more times on only 11 shots. All five goals were scored on his glove side.
Head coach Martin St. Louis doesn’t appear happy carrying three goalies, while Samuel Montembeault — signed to a three-year contract extension Friday that pays an average US$3.15 million annually — and Jake Allen are making the best of the situation.
“I patted (Primeau) on the back,” St. Louis said Thursday. “I’m sure he’ll have conversations with (goalie coach) Éric Raymond.” Otherwise, St. Louis was reluctant to discuss the goalie dilemma. “I don’t really know,” he said. “We’re taking it week by week.”
The Canadiens failed to score on six power play opportunities against Florida and have gone seven games without a goal while enjoying a man advantage. Montreal is in an 0-for-23 hole on the power play.
“I wouldn’t say we’re not clicking,” captain Nick Suzuki said on Thursday. “There were a lot of opportunities for us to score. It just didn’t work. We had a good game plan. I thought we executed it pretty well. But we have to find a way to score.”
Defenceman Johnathan Kovacevic was the only Montreal player to beat Bobrovsky, giving him four goals in his last seven games. Kovacevic netted only three goals all of last season in 77 games. Of the Canadiens’ 64 goals this season, 18 (28 per cent) have come from defencemen.
Anderson isn’t the only forward experiencing a drought.
Suzuki has gone nine games without a goal, as has Gallagher. Former first overall draft choice Juraj Slafkovsky has one goal in 12 games. Sean Monahan has gone 13 games without scoring, while Christian Dvorak has one goal in 13 games since making his season debut. And while Jake Evans isn’t known for his offensive prowess, he scored the Canadiens’ opening goal this season at Toronto, Oct. 11, and none since.
When the forwards aren’t scoring, the netminding must be almost perfect.
“The way we ended the game in Columbus and the way we started the game here, we’re building some good hockey,” Gallagher said. “I think, if we continue that, we’ll win more games than we lose.”