Loss to the Leafs: a reminder that the CH is still a team in rebuilding.

Obviously, last night’s loss hurt extremely hard and is very difficult to swallow, especially considering that it came against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the hated rivals of the CH.

However, the CH seemed to be in perfect control of the game, while the Leafs were completely stunned during the first 30 minutes of the match.

Everything looked perfect, and the Tricolor was heading straight towards a big victory that would have further proved that Montreal is not messing around and is truly back in force.

Unfortunately, this beautiful scenario collapsed, as the CH failed to maintain its lead and conceded seven unanswered goals to the Leafs.

Looking at the final score of 7 to 3, one might think that Martin St-Louis’s team was outclassed and dominated, but that’s not quite the case if we look beyond the seven goals conceded.

The CH simply lacked opportunism at key moments and failed to defend against the Leafs’ attacks while being very undisciplined.

In short, what we learned yesterday from this loss by the Tricolor is that despite the incredible streak of the team recently and the amazing level of play, Montreal is still a rebuilding team.

Indeed, we saw a talented and confident team, but inexperienced in a scenario where it led by three goals.

The recent glorious streak of the CH has rekindled excitement among the team’s supporters, but a loss like yesterday reminds us that in the end, it’s a long process and that such painful defeats are part of what will help the CH get through this process.

Ultimately, the Canadiens were not embarrassed last night despite the score, as the CH dominated the vast majority of the game and probably played its best 30 minutes of hockey of the season before the Leafs’ first goal.

The Tricolor directed 35 shots on the Leafs’ net compared to 34 for Toronto, which shows that the Tricolor was not outclassed; on the contrary.

It’s simply a young team in the midst of growth and ascent that continues to learn and improve steadily.

Therefore, there is no reason to panic about this loss, because in the end, the CH remains on an excellent streak, is still in the playoff race (just two points out) and shows hope even in a game where it was coming back like that.

In short, confidence must continue to reign in the Tricolor locker room, because in the end, it’s just a simple necessary misstep in the team’s rebuilding process.

There are several very positive signs for the CH after this game, and this applies on an individual level as well, so we need to look ahead and bounce back right away tonight against the New York Rangers.

This will be a very important match, as the Rangers will try to pass the CH in the standings, as they are just one point behind Martin St-Louis’s squad.

There’s no better opportunity for the CH to bounce back tonight with an excellent performance.

It will likely be Jakub Dobes in net, as he would thus play his first career game at the Bell Centre.

In Brief

– He is doing very well in the absence of Linus Ullmark.

– Speaking of Ullmark, wow, really very cool.

– Stay tuned today.

– A true metamorphosis.

– A must read.