The Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota Wild delivered an entertaining game at the Bell Centre, but unfortunately, the referees apparently wanted a piece of the spotlight, too. On a night dedicated to Carey Price and his induction into the Canadiens' Ring of Honour, Jacob Fowler and Jesper Wallstedt put on a goaltending display worthy of the occasion. Unfortunately, what should have been remembered as a special evening celebrating one of Montreal's greatest players will also be remembered for another example of NHL officiating at its finest. And by finest, I mean the kind of performance that makes you wonder whether somebody should check the officials' eyesight before handing them a whistle.
☕ A disappearing top line: The Wild did an outstanding job against the Canadiens' top line, which was practically invisible for much of the night. They took away space, limited opportunities and made life miserable for Montreal's biggest offensive weapons. Sometimes, the opposition deserves credit, even when we'd rather blame our own players.
☕ Slafkovsky's missing game: Juraj Slafkovsky looks lost right now. The encouraging part? He doesn't appear particularly bothered by it, which is a positive in itself. Confidence is a funny thing in hockey. Once you lose it, finding it can be harder than finding a parking spot downtown on a Saturday night. Here's hoping he gets his game back sooner rather than later.
☕ Fowler keeps impressing: Jacob Fowler had another solid performance, stopping 22 of the 24 shots he faced. Cool, collected and generally in excellent position, he made several important saves when called upon. At this rate, he seems determined to make a good impression on Carey Price. Not a bad person to have watching from the stands when you're trying to build a career between the pipes.
☕ A beautiful hockey player: Kaiden Guhle is simply a beautiful hockey player to watch. He does so many little things right, both defensively and offensively, without making a production out of it. His positioning, decisions and ability to read the play are impressive. I often wonder just how good this young man could be if injuries hadn't repeatedly interrupted his development.
☕ The Kapanen effect: Oliver Kapanen was the player who had the most impact on his line. Some will look at the statistics and throw them in my face, but watching a game live gives you a different perspective. You see the little details, the positioning, the work away from the puck and the plays that never make the highlight reel. This is precisely why evaluating players in person is so valuable. A television camera follows the puck. It doesn't necessarily follow the game.
☕ A Newhook observation: Speaking of watching games live rather than on television, I noticed Alex Newhook skating during TV timeouts. He appeared to be battling some sort of minor injury. Nothing conclusive, but it was noticeable enough to catch my attention.
☕ Danault and Evans, a different story: I don't know whether Phillip Danault is dealing with an injury, but watching him live for the first time since his return to Montreal, I found him sluggish and largely uninvolved. Jake Evans, who was visibly playing hurt, had a far better game. At times, I wonder whether the coaching staff appreciates Evans primarily because he's the only left-handed option in the faceoff circles. There's more to his game than which hand he uses to take a draw.
☕ Hutson needs a breather: Lane Hutson looked exhausted in the third period. He played 26:47, and while Mike Matheson is out, the coaching staff needs to find better ways to manage its bench. Adam Engström and Arber Xhekaj can each absorb a few more shifts. Hutson is too important to this team's success to have him running on fumes when the game is on the line.
☕ Anderson gets the short end: You have to feel for Josh Anderson. He bobbled the puck in the neutral zone, leading to Minnesota's first goal, then was penalized for something that really shouldn't have been called. The closest referee appeared to be shaking his head while speaking to the Wild player, seemingly indicating it was a stick-check. The referee farther away saw things differently and raised his arm. Welcome to the wonderful world of the two-referee system, where sometimes the official with the best view isn't the one making the call.
☕ Kaprizov kept quiet: Despite scoring the overtime winner, courtesy of a questionable penalty call against Cole Caufield, the Canadiens did an excellent job containing Kirill Kaprizov. His overtime goal was his only shot on goal all night, despite playing more than 20 minutes. That's a pretty impressive defensive effort against one of the NHL's most dangerous offensive players. Unfortunately, one whistle was all it took to change the ending.
☕ Quinn Hughes is worth every penny: If Bill Guerin, Minnesota's general manager, ever allows Quinn Hughes to walk away, the Wild will have a serious problem on their hands. He controlled the game, was involved in practically everything and finished with 29:28 of ice time, setting up the overtime winner. He was dangerous all night, despite being booed by Montreal fans practically every time he touched the puck. I have never quite understood the fascination with booing an opponent's best player. Perhaps it's supposed to intimidate him. Judging by Hughes' performance, he seems to have survived the experience.
☕ Next Stop: Boston. The Canadiens won't have much time to lick their wounds. They travel to Boston on Thursday to face the Bruins, another difficult opponent. If Montreal wants to come away with two points, it will need a more consistent offensive effort and, hopefully, fewer unwanted contributions from the men in stripes.
Bottom Line: It was supposed to be a night celebrating Carey Price, and there were plenty of reasons to remember it fondly. Fowler gave us another glimpse of what the future might look like, Guhle reminded us how valuable he is, and the Canadiens showed they can compete with one of the league's better teams. Unfortunately, the referees decided to add their own flavour to the evening, and it left a rather bitter aftertaste. Sometimes, even a good cup of hockey gets ruined by someone spilling the coffee.
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