MONTREAL — With Alex Texier and Kirby Dach returning from injury to unseat Brendan Gallagher and Joe Veleno, Tuesday’s game was supposed to be about the depth of the Montreal Canadiens.
Up against a shell version of the Florida Panthers — a team missing nearly every key player that propelled it to three straight runs to the Stanley Cup Final, with the last two culminating in beer-soaked summers at the famous Elbo Room in Fort Lauderdale — the Canadiens were primed to roll. Fresh legs were meant to kick away the fatigue that nagged them in Sunday’s 3-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils, and reimagined lines presented promise to provide the spark that could set the Canadiens back ablaze ahead of the playoffs.
And then the puck dropped and none of that happened.
“We were flat,” said Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis, who then expressed hope that this game, and the one lost Sunday, were anomalies.
They were two of four straight (including one last Saturday against the Devils and one last Thursday against the New York Rangers) played against teams well out of playoff contention, and, as a result, they were played without the emotional engagement that netted the Canadiens an eight-game winning streak.
With the playoffs already clinched, the Canadiens gave into temptation and exhaled.
It wasn’t until late in the third period of Tuesday’s game that the Canadiens inhaled, held their breath, and hoped their many talented players would deliver them a win they didn’t deserve.
But that’s the fun of a team like this.
Even without its change-up, never mind its fastball, it can throw a few great pitches and pull a rabbit out of its hat.
“That’s sick,” said Phillip Danault. “Never been part of (a team this talented), and you win with teams like that…”
Yes, you always have a chance to win when you can look down the bench and identify more than a handful of players who can take over in an instant.
When the Canadiens needed one player to do it, it could easily have been Ivan Demidov.
He didn’t sleepwalk through the first two periods like the rest of his teammates; he dominated, creating multiple chances through the first 20 minutes before finally cashing in on one in the first minute of the second.
It was Demidov’s 18th goal and 61st point, and he was primed for more when the Canadiens needed it most.
Instead, after goals from Danault and Eetu Luostarinen were exchanged within 1:27 of each other in the third, it was Lane Hutson who cut through the gut of the ice, split the defence, pulled Panthers goaltender Daniil Tarasov out of his crease, and slipped captain Nick Suzuki his 28th goal and 96thpoint of the season.
“Amazing rush,” said Suzuki of the one Hutson took to help him tie the game 3-3 with 21 seconds left in regulation.
In overtime, Cole Caufield missed the last of his six attempts of the night to score his 50th goal of the season.
But he and Texier scored two no-doubters in the shootout to seal the 4-3 win that tied the Canadiens with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres in points (102) and kept them in the race for the Atlantic Division crown.
Depth will factor in over the remaining four games in a more traditional way than it did in this fifth-to-last one for the Canadiens. You’d expect it to help the team create waves of pressure — and for the talented players to surf those waves and score the goals needed to win games.
The Canadiens didn’t get those waves against the injury-riddled Panthers, but they got timely ripples.
Texier created some by extending offensive-zone shifts to give Demidov a wider canvas to paint on.
And boy, that 20-year-old kid created beautiful things on that canvas, leaving at least one of his teammates in awe.
“I see electric, just outstanding skill; edge control — unbelievable,” said Danault. “One of the most special players I’ve seen in my career. Soon enough, it’ll be an honour to play with him. And it already is. Sixty points at a young age like that, playing not many minutes every night and showing up and dedicated like he is. He’ll be a master of his category.”
Suzuki already is one. Caufield and Hutson are right there with him.
And then there’s Juraj Slafkovsky, who was far from his best on Tuesday but still notched assist Nos. 39 and 40 to get to 69 points in Game 78 of his fourth NHL season.
He had a career-high 51 in 79 games last season, and he’s only eight days removed from his 22nd birthday.
Another 22-year-old, who’s ridden shotgun with Demidov all season, moved to the fourth line with Danault and Josh Anderson.
And while Oliver Kapanen was still stuck on 22 goals at the end of the night, he was effective.
That the Canadiens could push a player of his ability down speaks to how their depth could be a weapon.
Veleno was too sick to play, but he will bolster that depth when he returns. Gallagher may get more rest between now and the end of the season, but you know the 33-year-old veteran will have a role to play in playoff games.
Alex Carrier (injured) and Kaiden Guhle (maintenance) will have big ones, and fill-ins Arber Xhekaj and Adam Engstrom will help if need be.
That’s a lot of depth to rely on.
When it doesn’t come through, though, it sure is nice to have talent.
