With almost two weeks off from hockey, the Florida Panthers were approaching this game with some rust on their skates, needing some time to settle in. The Canadiens, on the other hand, were not off as long as their visitor’s, coming in with more jump.
Unsurprisingly, the Habs controlled play from the start of the puck drop, causing all sorts of problems for the Panthers in their zone. They came close to tacking on a goal in the opening few minutes, but thanks to Sergei Bobrovsky, that didn’t happen.
As the game progressed, the Panthers were finding it difficult to create any scoring chances as the Canadiens played a tight blue line, denying them any zone entries – let alone any opportunities in front of goal.