3-2 Montreal, in regulation.
Well, it didn’t go as well as it could have gone, but it went.
At least, in our favour.
Coming out slow, the Montreal Canadiens went down by one goal after Nylander (boo) scored a wrist shot only 48 seconds into the first period of play. You’d think this would blow the roof off of the Scotiabank Arena; instead, a gentle applause. But that’s a story for another time.
The pace of play seemed, well, off. Nothing was happening. Minimal movement. Shots missed wide and passes sent thirty feet too far. It was frightening enough I had to get up and make a hot chocolate, knowing there was a very real possibility we were about to be steamrolled by the worst possible team to do it. I was going to need the comfort of a warm cocoa if I was going to be forced to watch a slaughter. I hate to be a doomer, but the feeling was real. We didn’t have enough zip in the first line to get anything going.
There was no snipe from the corner from Caufield. No fancy assist from Suzuki. Demidov and Slafosky were struggling to find their balance.
And maybe that’s what made what happened next so encouraging. The Canadiens didn’t win because the usual suspects took over. They won because the guys further down the lineup did.
Despite letting in the early goal, Dobes then stood on his head. Unsurprisingly to anyone who has watched the Habs in any capacity over the last two years, he blocked a heavy shot from Matthews, standing tall, standing confidently in his net. It was nothing more than Dobes thinking “well, can’t let another one of those in”, instead of the common doomer outlook and a tank for Dupont. Water off the duck’s back, or whatever.
It was reminiscent of the Tampa series of the playoffs, where he was bound and determined not to let Vasilevsky, one of his idols, show him up. Moving around the crease like his arms and legs were separate from his body was not only fun to watch, but also motivating. Here’s a guy we’ve counted on in the past, are counting on right now, and can legitimately count on in the future. He looks like our number one goalie, and after what he did against Tampa last spring, Game One certainly didn’t give anyone a reason to question it.
And Dobes was committing grand theft out there on Marchenko like it was a casual game of shinny.
We have Doby, and honestly, after game one, do we need anybody else?
We also need Josh Anderson.
The guy played baseball as a youngster, and honestly, the Jays should be looking at him over the summer next year, because that was a line drive right into the back of the net. Patient, calm, and controlled, he waited until just the right moment to bat it in and not be worried about an illegal high stick. It was damn crafty, I’ll give him that. I’d also give him my first born son, but that’s also another story for another time.
And then, life was breathed into the team again, and they took off running.
Thankfully. Tuesday nights are a terrible evening to watch the Habs lose a hockey game.
Josh Anderson is playing on the fourth line this year with Zachary Bolduc and Jake Evans, and I’m not mad about it at all. At certain points of the season, especially coming down to the wire with playoff spots and points accumulation, there’s always a lot of talk about a team’s depth—can the lower guys carry forward with skill, speed, and scoring while maybe the top six are in an exhausted slump? Can you count on the bottom six to produce, even after long stretches of games and heavy hitting? Do you have the needed depth on your team?
After last night’s game, the Habs are swimming in the deep end of the pool, and they’re staying afloat.
The top six, Caufield, Suzuki, and Slafkovsky especially, didn’t have a highlight reel night. There weren’t any insane breakaways or Cole sniping one in from his favourite dot. And that’s okay; it’s the first game of the year.
But what makes it okay is the fact we had two players from the fourth line crashing the net, generating chances, and scoring a damn goal. Josh Anderson is a known Leaf-Hater, and so I’m not surprised, but Zachary Bolduc also made sure that the Habs took the lead, and kept it.
Bolduc, a 23 year old winger from Trois-Rivières, Quebec, went 17th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft. Originally selected by the Blues, the Habs secured him in a trade for defenseman Logan Mailloux in 2025, which is starting to look suspiciously like highway robbery. He finished that season with 12 goals and 18 assists in 78 games, and then with the deep run the Habs made in the post-season, lit himself on fire and managed a total of seven points in 19 games.
Combined with Josh Anderson, who scored 14 goals and 9 assists in 72 games last year, and Jake Evans who put up 12 goals and 12 assists over 68 games played, is a pretty damn solid fourth line.
A total combined 77 points in the regular season isn’t just a goon line. It’s a threat.
Scrolling through Reddit during the game, some people were talking about that line being “The Dog Line” not because of their rough nature, but because of the grit. The boys have that “dog” in them. Putting bodies where they need to be. Skating hard to get the puck. Blocking shots and covering the man. All of it leads to the thought presenting itself; the Habs might have a fourth line that certainly plays better than a lot of other fourth lines.
I don’t think that’s a Dog Line. I think that’s a pretty damn deep pool.
Josh Anderson said after the game last night, “You know, just having a lot of communication before the game even started, getting on the same page, I thought we were connected all over the ice and got rewarded tonight.”
So, communication and connection are already apparent in the Habs camp. The scoring can come from somewhere other than the top six. And we have a goalie who can give up a bad one 48 seconds in, reset, and start stealing games.
It’s hard not to get excited about this.
The Leafs might need a lifejacket, at least for the next few weeks as they figure out a whole new team.
Habs are treading water in the deep end, waiting for them.
The Montreal Canadiens play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, October 3rd, at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
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