Call of the Wilde: Canadiens shut out in Minnesota – but it’s not all bad news – Montreal

The last time the Montreal Canadiens won in Minnesota was in 2011. They were either on the road or they didn’t have a chance.

On Thursday night, Montreal was fresh off a win at Buffalo, where the offense finally got going with seven goals.

The Wild play a little tighter than the Sabres. Minnesota shut out the Canadiens 3-0.

Wild Horses

Marcus Foligno is six foot three, 226 pounds. Lane Hutson is five foot nine, 162 pounds. They met in a battle for the puck on the Canadiens blue line in the first period. It was an obvious mismatch. It’s the type of moment everyone has been dreading, and why Hutson fell to No. 62 in the draft. He’s just too small.

Nobody told Hutson he can’t win that fight, and certainly, nobody told Foligno what he was up against. Hutson left the giant Wild player behind on all fours as he fell as Hutson pulled away. Hutson then skated alone to the wild blue line and set up Christian Dvorak for Montreal’s only chance in the first 20 minutes.

It’s not the dog in the fight, it’s the fight in the dog. It’s also about balance. Good balance and lower trunk strength can offset a whole lot of deficits in inches and pounds. Ask Brendan Gallagher or Cole Caufield or even Martin St. Louis, which are three other good examples in the Canadiens organization. What a steal for the rebuild to get Hutson at the end of the second round. He’s a special player – all 162 pounds of him.

Wild goats

It was a close game with no odd-man rush and few neutral zone turnovers. It was the kind of game where you knew one mistake would change the course of the contest. Enter Christian Dvorak.

Late in the second period, with the score still tied at one, Dvorak had it in the neutral zone, but instead of pushing the puck down the ice, he got caught and turned it over. Unfortunately, he then compounded his problems by missing his man in front of the net.

The first goal went to Minnesota and a huge advantage was won. At the NHL level, that’s all it takes to lose a game – just one mistake against a great team. It’s not always like that, but in this one it was clear that it was a first-goal-wins kind of night.

In the third period, Jayden Struble took an unlucky double-minor for high-sticking for Minnesota to add another goal and it was over. Samuel Montembeault had a strong game, but he couldn’t stop Marco Rossi’s well-placed shot. The Wild added a tom netter.

To concentrate on the positives, however, the Canadiens cut down on their mistakes significantly. It didn’t feel like it, but this was a glass-half-full contest for Montreal. If they keep making progress like this, they will be fine.

Wild cards

There is one aspect of the reconstruction narrative that is not told accurately. Contrary to popular belief, rebuilding does not go back where it counts. It’s not about wins and losses in year three. It’s about training six top-six forwards and four top-four defensemen.

Cole Caufield leads the entire NHL in goals. This is definitely not a player that goes back. Nick Suzuki is approaching the quarter mark of the season for the first time in his career as a better than point-per-game player. Juraj Slafkovsky has had the best start to his very young career in points. He is 20 and in his third season.

While Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach have not solidified their career paths early this season, they are still viable to eventually arrive. Should Newhook and Dach one day be considered third liners, the second line of the future holds great promise.

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Ivan Demidov is the best draft plus one in KHL history in Russia in points per game, despite his head coach limiting his minutes in many games. Michael Hage is off to a strong start at Michigan as he delivers extremely well in his first year post-draft.

The top six could also be filled by a top-10 pick this year in the draft. Also, Patrik Laine has not played a minute. Four options for three spots in the top six as the rebuild continues are not going back. If Dach and Newhook end up having another gear — as they could, given their age — then that’s six viable options to fill out the top six.

The second line hasn’t seen a boost this season, but no one has been canceled either. Who finally claims those second-line spots won’t be known for another two or three years.

In defense the situation is actually better. It must be remembered that the goal is a genuine top four in 2026, not today.

For that reason, this is an exceptionally auspicious year. Lane Hutson is second in rookie scoring as a blue liner. He is clearly a top-4 talent. It is a major victory in what was unknown only two months ago.

Add to that, Logan Mailloux is a dominant force in the AHL. He keeps the promise that he will eventually be in the top four.

Kaiden Guhle has done nothing wrong to disqualify him from being a top-4 defenseman. The only setback is that David Reinbacher suffered a serious season-long injury. However, it is not a loss. It’s not like he’s playing badly. He hasn’t done anything on the ice to be discouraged about.

It is both the attackers and the defenders who have not suffered a setback in the reconstruction. Add in the fact that Jacob Fowler is probably the best goaltender not playing in the NHL today, and the crease is taken care of as well.

Many of the struggles this season are in places that won’t matter in 2027. If you hate how much some of the veterans are struggling during all these losses, who cares? It doesn’t matter how the aging vets feel.

The future competitive lineup is not filled with 30-somethings. It’s loaded with high ceiling young guns Owen Beck, Joshua Roy, Adam Engstrom and Oliver Kapanen.

However, it is important to note that this reconstruction cannot be completed until each piece of the puzzle is completed. This means that the question mark remains at the center, where someone who is at least as good as Suzuki must come.

It’s still all systems go for this rebuild when you realize the goal isn’t actually wins this season, but top-six and top-four goals achieved.

Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after every Canadiens game.

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