Common wisdom says if you are not “in the mix” come U.S. Thanksgiving, your season is basically over. The Habs are tied for last in the NHL.
In the span of slightly less than six minutes in the second period Saturday night, the Canadiens shattered like cheap glass.
Four Vegas goals, with a fifth to follow before the period was out. A couple of egregious turnovers. A score, 6-2, that was made to look better than it was through third-period goals by Emil Heineman and Jayden Struble after it was too late to matter.
Unless things change dramatically going forward, you can pinpoint the stretch when the 2024-2025 season went off the rails — somewhere between the 4:39 mark of the second period when Tomas Hertl scored and the instant Keegan Kolesar got the fifth goal at 17:02. Any momentum the Habs had built up with a couple of wins vanished quicker than you can say Reijo Ruotsalainen.
Watching it come undone from high above the Bell Centre ice, executive VP of hockey operations Jeff Gorton looked more stressed than a man awaiting a jury verdict. Behind the bench, the coaches conferred and conferred again but nothing came of it, except perhaps some teaching moments.
What does it mean? First, let’s avoid overreacting to every win and every loss. A loss counts the same whether it’s 2-1 or 10-1. It’s no more an indication of where you stand at a given moment than the price of goat milk in Balochistan.
When you’re 20 games into a season, however, and you’ve been unable to get some traction or to put together even a modest winning streak, a collapse like that second period feels like a signpost of where you are.
Common NHL wisdom says that if you are not “in the mix” come U.S. Thanksgiving, your season is effectively over. You don’t want to write off the season prematurely, but the Canadiens now share the basement with 16 points, tied in futility with the Chicago Blackhawks whose baby superstar, Connor Bedard, is mired in a horrendous slump.
The only “mix” they’re in is the race for another top 5 lottery pick, along with the Senators, Red Wings, Penguins, Flyers, Blue Jackets, Predators, Blues, Ducks and Sharks. Not necessarily a bad thing when you need a top-flight, 100-point centreman.
I feel for Dach. He has clearly lost his confidence. He was a big part of the reason I predicted the Canadiens would reach the playoffs, but his play hasn’t been near that level and he knows it — you could tell by Dach’s anguish after the turnover that he was sick over the play.
When Dach got off to a slow start, we were assured that it would take 15 to 20 games for him to get his game back. He has now played 20 games. He has one goal, seven assists and he’s a minus-15.
It appears that 15-to-20 game estimate was way low. Dach is trying to come back from a major injury — it may take a full season, it may take more.
Slafkovsky? He simply needs to return to the top line and be reminded 86 times a day: Drive the net, shoot the $#%&*%$ puck.
Patience, folks. It might be 2026 before it all comes together but it will.
Hats off to the wit on Bluesky who greeted the news that the NHL salary cap might go up as much as $9 million by noting that former Habs GM Marc Bergevin would use the extra cap room to sign Carey Price to another contract as soon as this one expires. …
Scottie Barnes isn’t the superstar who will lead the Raptors to another NBA title but he can play ball. He’s also an idiot. The stunt he pulled the other night when he mimed firing a pistol at the Minnesota Timberwolves should have drawn a three-game suspension, minimum. …
Saku Koivu (wait for it) turned 50 Saturday. I don’t feel old, I feel ancient. …
Heroes: Pierre Houde, Saku Koivu, Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey, Brendan Gallagher, Emil Heineman, Josh Anderson, Felipe Forteza, Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Geno Auriemma &&&& last but not least, Rafa Nadal — what every athlete should be and so few are.
Zeros: Conor McGregor, Jabrill Peppers, Wayne Gretzky, Scottie Barnes, Joel Embiid, Shedeur Sanders, “Coach Prime,” Aaron Rodgers, Woody Johnson, Robert Kraft, Bud Selig Jr., Claude Brochu, David Samson &&&& last but not least, Jeffrey Loria.
Now and forever.