Three Takeaways From the Canadiens' Tilt In Utah

It was an eventful day for the Montreal Canadiens as the organization announced Emil Heineman was hit by a car on Monday and would be out of action for three to four weeks before taking on the Utah Hockey Club in the evening. Here are my takeaways from the game.

Related: More On Canadiens' Heineman Accident

Discipline Is A Must

The Canadiens could have found themselves in a huge hole after a first period in which they were assessed four minor penalties. Michael Pezzetta got the first one for holding less than a minute in, Michael Matheson followed suit in short order with a tripping call, Patrik Laine got a cross-checking call before Kirby Dach got a tripping one. As a result, Montreal only got three shots on goal in the first frame and was down 2-1 against a Utah team that hasn't been playing well of late.

Focus On The Task At Hand

While the Canadiens were frustrated in the first frame and lacked discipline, they refocussed in between periods and rolled up their sleeves in the second. Instead of chasing penalties, the Habs focussed on attacking to get back into the game and managed 12 shots on goal, leading to Laine's first even-strength goal of the season and Dach scoring a beauty while driving the net. This young Canadiens' team now knows how to reset and refocus, a cut doesn't lead to an hemorrhage anymore.

Pezzetta Missed His Opportunity

While nobody expected Pezzetta to be able to fill in for Laine on the second line when he was battling the flu, tonight he had the opportunity to find himself in the right chair on the fourth line. The penalty he took less than a minute in didn't please Martin St-Louis and he saw very little action for the rest of the night. He got four shifts in the first period and one in the second spending less than four minutes on the ice.

Related: Canadiens Hire Former Hab As A Consultant

In other words, expect the Canadiens to call someone up from the Laval Rocket sooner rather than later. While the gritty winger missed his opportunity, Logan Cooley doesn't miss a single opportunity to shine against the Habs and Juraj Slafkovsky. The Utah player scored a goal tonight and took more than his fair share of shots with six.

The Habs leave Utah with the two points after this 5-3 win and will be back in action on Thursday against the Dallas Stars. Until then, watch this space for updates on any roster moves.

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