With a nod to Rogatien Vachon in the pre-game and a former fan favourite goalie in Peter Budaj facing off against Montreal, I thought this game was going to be a goalie’s affair.
Thursday night, a high-flying Los Angeles Kings team rolled into Montreal hoping to derail the Habs’ hot start to the season, but Michel Therrien’s team had different plans in mind. From the opening faceoff, it was clear the Canadiens meant to spend as much time as possible in the offensive zone.
After Max Pacioretty used his skating to draw a penalty early in the period, the first power play unit struggled to set up any kind of presence and puck movement.