Minnesota 3, Montreal 0. This one wasn’t interesting, sorry.
Canadiens fans might not remember the goaltender. He was no Patrick Roy or Carey Price. He wasn’t even a Jake Allen or Jeff Hackett for that matter. But Auld was the last Montreal goalie to win a game in Minnesota, back in March 2011. Incredible.
Auld, now 43, played for eight NHL teams, including 16 games with Montreal during the 2010-11 season. And he wasn’t half bad, all things considered, going 6-2-2 in 16 games with a 2.64 average and .914 save percentage. He completed his pro career playing in Austria for Red Bull Salzburg. And, last time we checked, Auld was a broadcaster for a Vancouver radio station, working weekend Canucks games.
And now we return you to our regularly scheduled programming.
Benjamin Moore would be proud: Yes, there actually was a Benjamin Moore, an American manufacturer of paints, stains and other architectural coatings. Why do we bring him up? Because Thursday night’s game between the Canadiens and Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center was about as exciting as watching paint dry.
News you need (Part I): Circle Jan. 30 on your calendar. The Wild visits the Bell Centre that night. And if you have tickets, may we suggest StubHub or Ticketmaster. Curl up with a good book. It’ll be more entertaining.
News you need (Part II): Those two first-period shots tied a Canadiens record for the fewest shots in a period this season. Last Saturday, at Toronto, Montreal also was held to two shots in the opening period. Could there be a trend developing here?
News you need (Part III): On Jan. 26, 2006 and again on Dec. 27, 2002, the Canadiens were held to 12 shots in total, a franchise low. Coincidentally, both games were on the road, against Ottawa. Go figure.
Things could always be worse: Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov is considered the most prolific scorer in franchise history. The 27-year-old Russian is on pace for his fourth consecutive 40-goal season and should eclipse 100 points for the second time in his career. But the Canadiens held him to an empty-net goal and an assist. He now has 10 goals and 30 points this season.
Next time, just stay home: Minnesota now has a 17-1 record against the Canadiens in their last 18 games together. That includes an eight-game winning streak dating back to Oct. 20, 2019. That’s the Wild’s longest winning streak against any opponent and it includes 11 consecutive victories against the Canadiens. Sheesh.
News you need (Part IV): Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson has now allowed two or fewer goals in nine of 12 games this season. The Swedish native recorded his first shutout this season, blocking 19 shots, and seventh of his career in this 3-0 victory.
News you need (Part V): Despite the seven goals scored last Monday, at Buffalo, we all know the Canadiens are offensively challenged. Nonetheless, this marked the first time this season they’ve been shut out. Montreal, however, has been held to one goal four times already this season. Incredibly, the Canadiens won one of those games — the home and season opener, Oct. 9, against the Maple Leafs.
With friends like this …: In the game’s 13th minute, a Brock Faber shot struck Mats Zuccarello in the midsection. He didn’t return. Fellow forward Joel Eriksson Ek also didn’t return for the second period, leaving the home team with only 10 forwards. And yet they still won easily.
Hit of the night: Approximately two minutes later, Arber Xhekaj collided with Yakov Trenin behind the Canadiens’ net. Surprisingly, it was the Montreal defenceman, 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, who went down. Trenin, in case you’re wondering, is 6-foot-2 and 201 pounds.
It’ll come eventually: Hutson still is seeking his first NHL goal. In the ninth minute of the second period, he came out from behind the net on another of his patented solo efforts, and went around Zach Bogosian, only to be thwarted.
Next time, decline the penalty: The Canadiens went 0-for-3 on the power play.
Dumb penalty: Jayden Struble took a double high-sticking minor in the third period against Jared Spurgeon. Minnesota scored its second goal while he was off.
Quick stats: Huston was the clubhouse leader, at minus-2. Struble led all Montreal players, with three shots. Defenceman Mike Matheson was on the ice for 28:19.
They said it: “It’s unfortunate that we take a four-minute penalty when we had a numerical advantage,” Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis told the media post-game in St. Paul, Minn. “It was like a three-on-two that was developing. These are actions that help the other team. We almost killed it.”
“I think it was a good effort,” Matheson said. “For the most part we did a good job of not giving them a lot. We had some really good chances to score. We didn’t score ours and they scored theirs.”
“I don’t think we created enough,” Slafkovsky said. “We didn’t execute at the last moment. That cost us the game.”