Despite loss, Canadiens gain better blue-line balance in Guhle’s return

MONTREAL — On Saturday, the Montreal Canadiens lost a few too many battles on their way to losing a game to the Detroit Red Wings. As a result, they also lost pole position—and a bit of the lead they had built up over their many pursuers—in the Atlantic Division.

But the Canadiens gained something on this night that they’ve been searching for since the start of the season, and its value should enable them to win even more than they already have. With Kaiden Guhle back, and with Arber Xhekaj playing at the height of his abilities, they finally had the right mix on their blue line.

A bad bounce off the boards near the Zamboni entrance, which gifted Lucas Raymond the game’s first goal in the 25th minute of play, didn’t dull that reality. Neither did Dylan Larkin’s power-play goal roughly seven minutes later.

Alex DeBrincat got a freebie because Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky lost him in transition one minute into the third, and Andrew Copp got one with just over a minute to play with the Canadiens’ net empty.

Copp’s goal capped a 4-0 win the Red Wings deserved.

But the Canadiens still showed—as Guhle got back up to speed, as Xhekaj launched a game-high eight hits, as Alex Carrier killed plays while Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson and Mike Matheson created them—they’ll have a defence corps to reckon with moving forward, and that was a critical development.

It’s been pretty good so far, hence a 25-13-6 record for the Canadiens coming into Saturday’s action.

But the balance restored by Guhle’s return makes it considerably better.

“I think we have the tools that we need to win back there,” said Guhle, who played 18:54 in his sixth game of the season and his first since Oct. 16. 

“I think we’ve got offence, we’ve got guys that can defend,” Guhle continued. “Everyone can defend, we’ve got pretty elite offensive guys, I think everyone plays hard, blocks shots. I think we have the recipe. It’s hard to do. It’s hard to get to glory. But I think we have the guys that can do it.”

The Red Wings have some as well, which is why they’re currently on top of the Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic. 

Moritz Seider played nearly half the game and was exceptional next to Simon Edvinsson for most of his minutes. Former Canadien Ben Chiarot finished plus-2 over 22:03 while Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Albert Johansson and Jacob Bernard-Docker tightened the screws on the Canadiens to offer them very little opportunity through the first half of the game. 

Goaltender John Gibson stood tall as Montreal pressed through the second half.

If you were watching closely, it was a charge led by Dobson, Matheson, and even Xhekaj, who rarely gets a chance to see the ice when the Canadiens are chasing the game.

But the six-foot-three, 240-pounder wasn’t just throwing his weight around in this one. He was covering ice at both ends, standing up at his own blue line, activating at the offensive one to generate chances, and he deserved to be out there late.

Xhekaj finished with two shots on net and seven attempts, but like the Canadiens, he finished with nothing to show for his efforts on this night.

Xhekaj’s play has been consistent for the better part of two weeks of winning hockey for the Canadiens, and it has helped show his potential to complete this formidable group of six.

“I think he’s just playing consistent,” Dobson said. “I know from a forward’s standpoint, it’s never fun when he’s out there. He’s finishing his hits, he’s having good gaps, he’s making good plays. Obviously, he’s got confidence, too. He’s making some plays in the o-zone and getting some good looks, so it’s been great to see him playing as well as he is.”

Dobson has been playing his part to near perfection over the last 10 games to help the Canadiens to a 6-2-2 record. 

He came into Saturday’s contest with three goals and nine points in his last nine games and made a ton of plays that could’ve flipped the outcome against the Red Wings. 

Only Hutson (1:04) and Matheson (0:52) had more time than Dobson (0:51) with the puck on their stick in the offensive zone, and neither of them had as many as his four controlled zone entries.

Meanwhile, Guhle playing close to 19 minutes kept Hutson, Matheson and Dobson all under the 25-minute mark, with Xhekaj playing a bit more than he usually averages and Carrier playing a bit less.

There was a better equilibrium there—and not just in terms of ice-time. The more balanced minutes are what the Canadiens need with the schedule so frenetic between now and the February Olympic break, and the balancing of roles should keep each defenceman confident to help keep the Canadiens chasing the top of the ever-tightening race in the standings.

Even if Saturday’s loss bumped the Canadiens from first in the Atlantic to third, with the Red Wings seizing first and the Lightning jumping a point ahead in second, even if the Buffalo Sabres pulled to within four points with two games in-hand and the Toronto Maple Leafs clawed to within five points with one game in-hand, and even if the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins are now five and six points back, respectively, the strength of their blue line gives them reason to believe they can do it.

“We like what we have back there,” said Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis. “It’s a mix of players that we feel very comfortable with what we have, and bringing Guhles back in, we’re going to figure out how to juggle that, find rhythm. Obviously, special teams breaks that sometimes, but we have great options.”