Canadiens Show Improvements In Key Areas In Win Over Red Wings

After destroying the Buffalo Sabres 6-1 on Tuesday night and getting a new defenseman via trade on Wednesday night, the Montreal Canadiens were hoping to get a second win in as many games as they took on the Detroit Red Wings.

Unlike the Sabres, the Wings were not down in the dumps and when the Canadiens scored, they didn't unravel, they came right back at them. Emil Heineman scored the first goal of the game when his quick release got the better of Cam Talbot who was playing a first game since Dec. 1 after being sidelined by a lower-body injury.

The puck went right in the netminder's five-hole as he tried to squeeze the pads, but it was too little too late. Jake Evans, who was scoring in his 300rd game, got the promary assist on the play with Mike Matheson getting the secondary helper. The goal seemed to whip the Wings awake and they started pushing back which led to Patrick Kane scored an impressive goal from in close above Samuel Montembeault's shoulder on the near post. Granted, the space shouldn't have been there, but the hands on Kane are still as amazing as ever.

Shortly thereafter, Kirby Dach was sent to the box for high sticking, taking penalties has become a bit of a habit for him, but it wasn't Detroit that scored while he was in the box, it was Montreal. Evans picked Lukas Raymond's pocket and flew to the net where he scored a beauty to give the Canadiens a 2-1 lead. The center really stood out for the Canadiens tonight and the more he plays, the more he performs. Will he price himself out of Montreal or will he want to stay?

Related: Canadiens: A Fair Comparable For Jake Evans?

Less than a minute later, Jeff Petry launched a shot from the blueliner and Joe Veleno deflected it, taking everyone back to square one. After 20 minutes, it was 2-2 and both goalies had been very active. Montembeault faced 23 shots while Talbot saw 14.

In the first frame, there were a couple of occurrences on which the second line was trapped in the defensive zone, there was no harm done the first time, the second time it led to a Detroit goal and then, early in the second frame, it led to Patrik Laine taking a holding penalty.

Montreal was able to kill the man-advantage, but still, this second line formed by Alex Newhook, Dach and Laine needs to click at even strength. If your top six is not great at defending, it needs to be great at scoring. The Canadiens dominated the middle frame getting 10 shots on net while Detroit could only get five to Montembeault.

Through 40 minutes, the newly formed pairing of Kaiden Guhle and Alexandre Carrier was very efficient, they had not allowed a single shot from the slot. Quite an efficient defensive pairing.

Less than two minutes into the final frame, Nick Suzuki turned the puck over but quickly recovered it, only for Hutson to turn it over and that time, the Canadiens couldn't recover, Tyler Motte scored giving the Wings a 3-2 lead. The young blueliner was clearly annoyed hitting the ice with his stick, but once je got to the bench, defensemen coach Stephane Robidas was right on him, visibly telling him to forget about it and turn the page.

Not so long ago, that kind of mistake early in the third would have destroyed the Canadiens' confidence. Not tonight though. A few weeks ago, the panel on l'Antichambre was saying how a team in that position needed a veteran to stand up and settle the nerves when that happened, but tonight it wasn't an oldy who did that, it was none other than Hutson.

Related: Canadiens: Too Many Lopsided Losses

After being guilty of a costly turnover he got back on the ice with a purpose, grabbed the puck and took it for a ride in the offensive zone, full of confidence. The message is quite clear here for the team, if a 20-year-old kid can do that and not let it get to him, every player can. And so they did, they shrug off the third goal and Arber Xhekaj tied up the game minutes later with his first goal of the season.

With the game tied up 3-3, Hutson controlled the puck in the offensive zone and forced Veleno to take a holding penalty. Less than two minutes later, Laine scored what would stand as the game-winning goal, his seventh goal and his seventh on the power play as well.

GM Kent Hughes was saying prior to the season that he didn't want to keep Hutson in the NHL if he was going to be used as a power play specialist, but I'm convinced he has no issue with Laine being one.

For the first time this season, the Canadiens took more than 30 shots on net and, for the first time in a long time, they scored on a breakaway. It wasn't a perfect game from the Canadiens, but it was one in which the growth and the improvement was very much visible.

Both clubs will now head to Montreal and meet each other again tomorrow night at the Bell Centre. Will Montembeault start a ninth game in a row or will St-Louis be forced to give a start to Cayden Primeau because of the schedule?

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