Call of the Wilde: Montreal Canadiens bring the fight to Washington, fall 3-2 in OT

Tuesday night was a night when the Montreal Canadiens wanted to measure their improvement over last season. The Canadiens were handled in five quick games in the playoffs last season by the Washington Capitals. The Habs had to travel overnight after playing Monday, taking on a rested team waiting at home. The Canadiens fought the fatigue to play an extremely competitive game before losing in overtime 3-2. Wilde Horses The Canadiens have been winning most of their games with an unstoppable offence recently, but it’s time to shine some light on some of the improvements defensively. The arrival of Phillip Danault has caused huge changes in some important categories that influence winning. The penalty kill of the Canadiens was one of the worst in the league before Danault’s arrival. It sat at 75 per cent. Danault’s first game with the Canadiens was against the Boston Bruins just before Christmas. With the five-for-five kill number against the Capitals, the penalty kill is 86 per cent with Danault in the lineup. Danault hunts like a dog on the kill. He is relentless. It isn’t just that, though. He also makes superb decisions about when to cut off the play to have the opportunity to clear the zone. However, even more important than that is the best way to start a good kill - to win the faceoff. Danault has quickly become the best faceoff man on the team. As a Canadiens player this short time, Danault is 59 per cent in the circle. It’s a vital statistic that Montreal was not faring well at since Danault departed to Los Angeles. For the first half of the season, the coaching staff was searching for a replacement for Joel Armia to kill penalties. They found it in Josh Anderson whose work on the kill was outstanding in this one. Anderson also scored a short-handed goal. Danault was the decoy on that two-on-one. Danault was also on the ice for the second goal as he took a pass from Zachary Bolduc, who had forechecked effectively to win the puck. Danault then passed to Brendan Gallagher who silenced the critics for a couple days with the 2-0 tally. The final piece of the puzzle to kill penalties well, and to win games, is goaltending. Samuel Montembeault has been back from Laval only four games, but he does look like a goalie who has had a lot of pressure, and bad technique, lifted off of him. Montembeault was outstanding, stopping 40 of 43 shots. Montembeault has a .921 save percentage in his starts since the stint in the American Hockey League. It’s a big enough and strong enough sample size to suggest that the move to a two-goalie system in Montreal will likely return soon. There are two young goaltenders who need to see the net more to help their development. Get breaking National news Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy . Wilde Goats The youngest team in the league is in the process of learning how...

Preview: ~500 words