Canadiens' core takes another critical step forward despite loss to Stars

MONTREAL — Juraj Slafkovsky was nodding his head to the music from the middle of the bench, looking at Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki and mouthing the words, ‘we got this, let’s go,’ as the third period was about to begin with his Montreal Canadiens trailing the Dallas Stars by a goal.

A little over a year ago, the first-overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft was just treading water at this level.

But there the 19-year-old was at a pivotal moment of Saturday’s game, appearing as though he was swimming strong right through the current, carrying himself like a man on a mission who was convinced he and his linemates would make the difference before the clock ran out.

They didn’t in the end, but that determination and conviction was a sign of how far he has come in such a short period of time.

And just seeing how Slafkovsky, Suzuki and Caufield have come together is a critical development for this rebuilding team. They’re part of a core that will be depended on for years to come, so to see them thriving — and not shrinking from the challenge they’re facing right now — is essential.

If not for these three players, the Canadiens wouldn’t have even been in Saturday’s game to begin with. Caufield extended an 11-game point streak by setting up Montreal’s first goal with a cross-ice pass that spanned three zones, banked off the boards and gave Suzuki an open lane to the far-side shot he beat Jake Oettinger with. Then, with his team down 3-1 in the dying minutes of the second period, Suzuki found Slafkovsky, who buried his 10^th goal of the season and 16^th point in his last 22 games with a lethal shot from a near-impossible angle. And the line came oh-so-close to tying things up on their way to completing the afternoon with a 67-per-cent share of the expected goals.

Mike Matheson, who hit the post late in the third period, had two assists over his 26:50 and continued to build on the most productive season of his career. The 29-year-old is showing he has many miles left on the odometer.

Kaiden Guhle, 22, was strong beside Matheson, leading the Canadiens in even-strength ice-time and playing a leading role at both ends.

And behind them, Samuel Montembeault progressed in his quest to prove he can be consistently relied upon as one of the best starters in the league, making 36 saves and keeping the Canadiens in the game.

They lost 3-2, but you couldn’t help but feel as though the core took another step forward in this game.

That it’s doing so at a time when it can’t afford to step back is noteworthy.

“I feel like they know they’re playing some really important minutes and, I think, with that comes some bigger responsibilities,” said coach Martin St. Louis. “I think they’re taking pride in being responsible on the ice — not just offensively, but defensively, too … A big part of getting that ice-time is the responsibility that comes with that, and I think they understand that.”

They don’t have a choice. Especially Slafkovsky, Suzuki and Caufield.

Sean Monahan’s trade to the Winnipeg Jets over the bye-week thinned out the already translucent secondary scoring of the Canadiens. And though Alex Newhook returned on Saturday after missing 27 games with a high-ankle sprain, there was little he could do (with the linemates he was given) to take the offensive burden away from the top line.

Granted, Joel Armia has been playing well for weeks and had a great game on Saturday, hence his usage of 18:49 and his appearance on the ice with the Canadiens skating six-on-five in the final minutes.

But you can’t expect a guy who was waived to the AHL at the beginning of the season to be the saviour of the NHL club at this stage. Especially not one who tends to miss the net with his best chances, which Armia did next to Newhook on Saturday.

And Rafael Harvey-Pinard, who was on the other side of Newhook for this game, went down in the second period with his second lower-body injury of the season.

He missed 27 games with the first one and struggled to produce when he was healthy, putting him in the same category as several other middle-to-bottom six forwards who haven’t been able to alleviate any of the pressure on Montreal’s top line.

But Slafkovsky, Suzuki and Caufield are continuously elevating their game, regardless, fulfilling their promise and exhibiting the type of growth that ensures they’ll be pivotal players in the team’s future success.

“They’re playing with a lot of confidence,” said Matheson. “They’re understanding the ebbs and flows of the game, too, and they’ve been huge for us to change the momentum of the game. They’ve been playing great and really connecting.”

He has helped them do it.

So has Guhle, and so has Montembeault, pushing the core to a level it’ll have to maintain over the final 31 games to continue advancing the Canadiens.

Nothing is more important than that.

“I think it’s the only option,” said Matheson. “If you want to see change, you need to push the envelope and make it happen. I think we still have the gas down to the metal and are trying to cause the change that we want to see.”