Canadiens thrilled their special teams are special this season

MONTREAL — In each of the past three NHL seasons, the Montreal Canadiens have ranked near the bottom in both penalty and power-play percentage. It was a liability that seemed immune to changes in combinations or strategy and was a key contributor to their poor finishes in the standings.

However, the Canadiens have managed to make both special teams units among the best in the league this season, with a stellar 89.3 per cent penalty kill being the third best in the NHL. It played a key factor in the 5-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday that snapped their four-game losing skid and has become their most reliable phase of play.

“Guys are making good reads and getting out in front of shots,” said goaltender Samuel Montembeault. “We worked a lot on (staying organized in front of our net). It’s always a group effort and everyone contributed.”

Considerable work has gone into the defensive-zone shape as a whole — with varying degrees of success — and it seems like the club’s work while short-handed seems to be the biggest beneficiary. This extra effort has allowed more players to be trusted on the penalty kill, including Lane Hutson, who has gradually showed the makings of a specialist.

“His anticipation, his quickness, and a really good, frustrating style of hockey. He stole a lot of pucks with his intelligence,” said head coach Martin St. Louis. “He just needs to learn to apply what he understands on the power play to the other side and reverse-engineer it.”

Not to be outdone, the power play has also stepped up this season with Montreal currently converting on 24.1 per cent of their man-advantage opportunities.

That was on display on both sides of the puck against the Blues as Alex Newhook’s go-ahead goal while on the man-advantage came at a key time in the matchup. After losing a two-goal lead in just over two minutes, it seemed as though the Blues were on the verge of taking over the game before Newhook found the back of the net just six seconds into the power play.

There was also the matter of two crucial penalty kills in the third period that were fought back with great efficiency, not allowing as much as a second shot to bother Montembeault.

“Special teams is just a huge momentum thing. If the power play isn’t even getting in or getting shots, or if you’re worried about the (penalty kill) conceding all these goals, it’s a big emotional drainer,” said Jake Evans. “Guys are talking on the bench and settling things down but it’s also that belief in the system; hard work and sticking together.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2024.