The Montreal Canadiens' struggling power play reached a critical point Saturday night, going 0-for-7 with the man advantage in a costly 3-2 loss to the Boston Bruins at the Bell Centre. The defeat allowed the Bruins to leapfrog the Canadiens into first place in the Atlantic Division.
Fights Fail to Spark Desired Result
The game began with fireworks as Canadiens defencemen Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj attempted to energize their team through physical play. Struble, giving up seven inches and nearly 50 pounds, fought Boston's Nikita Zadorov just four seconds after the opening faceoff. "I thought I'd get the guys going," Struble explained afterward. "So I just asked him after the anthem and he said yes."
Xhekaj followed with a fight against Tanner Jeannot at 3:52 of the first period, though he lost that encounter. Despite the early physical statements, the Canadiens couldn't translate that energy into power-play success.
Power Play Reaches Crisis Point
The story of the game quickly became Montreal's inability to capitalize on numerous opportunities. The Canadiens failed to score on seven power-play chances, including two extended 5-on-3 advantages that yielded minimal offensive pressure.
The first 5-on-3 opportunity lasted 1:28 in the opening period and failed to generate a single shot on goal. Later, a second two-man advantage for 1:50 in the second period produced only three shots. Frustrated Bell Centre fans repeatedly shouted "shoot!" as the Canadiens prioritized passing over shooting throughout their power plays.
Defenceman Lane Hutson, who logged 7:20 of power-play time, acknowledged the problem. "It's a problem when our penalty kill scores more than our power play," Hutson said. "We just need to be better and we need it quick."
Game Details and Scoring
Marat Khusnutdinov opened the scoring for Boston at 8:38 of the first period. The Canadiens responded with a short-handed goal from Jake Evans less than four minutes later, highlighting the strange reality that Montreal was more dangerous killing penalties than with the man advantage.
Mason Lohrei put Boston ahead 2-1 early in the second period. The Bruins extended their lead to 3-1 when Viktor Arvidsson scored a power-play goal at 16:51 of the third period, adding insult to injury given Montreal's special teams struggles.
Cole Caufield cut the deficit to 3-2 with his team-leading 13th goal at 18:44 of the third period, but the comeback fell short. The Canadiens finished with just six shots on goal during their seven power plays, along with eight missed shots.
Players Acknowledge Need for Improvement
When asked if the team was looking for the perfect play instead of shooting, Caufield responded, "Maybe. I think shots are the most important thing and we didn't really get many and when we did we didn't really hit the net."
The young star added, "Just lack of execution, lack of detail. We got to be better. It's on us. Every touch should be clean."
Rookie Ivan Demidov played 18:52 total, including 7:52 on the power play, but finished without a shot on goal. The Canadiens now rank 29th in the NHL with just 24.8 shots per game.
With the loss, Montreal falls to 10-6-2 while Boston improves to 12-8-0. The Canadiens have a quick turnaround, facing the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night after what should be a power-play focused practice on Sunday.
