The Canadiens’ home opener was supposed to be a celebration, but it turned into a very bad night. The fans returned to the Bell Centre for the first time since the team was eliminated from the playoffs last spring, and the team gave them the usual great pregame show. Head coach Martin St-Louis got a standing ovation. Not everyone got the same welcome, though. We heard some boos for Kirby Dach and Chris Kreider during the introductions.

Then the Carolina Hurricanes, the team that eliminated Montreal last spring, crashed the party. Taylor Hall scored twice and Sebastian Aho had three points in a 6-4 win.

The first period was entertaining, with five goals in the first 13 minutes. Both goalies were among the top rookie goalies in the NHL last season and had great years, but it did not show in the first period. Brandon Bussi allowed three goals on six shots, and Jakub Dobes allowed two goals on the first eight shots he faced. Zachary Bolduc, Nick Suzuki and Bolduc again scored for the Canadiens. The Canadiens also failed to take advantage of a 5-on-3 power play of about a minute and a quarter at the end of the period.

The same story continued in the second period, but this time Carolina dominated. The Hurricanes came back with two goals on 17 shots and led 4-3 after 40 minutes. Aho tied the game and Mark Jankowski, with his first goal of the season, gave the lead to the Canes. The Canadiens were constantly running after the puck and could not get out of their own zone.

In the third period, the Canadiens tried to come back, as they have done many times before, but they fell short. Carolina added another goal to lead by two. Juraj Slafkovský then scored his first goal of the season to cut the lead to one, on a 6-on-5 with the goalie pulled. It was too late. The Hurricanes scored into the empty net to close the door.

The Hurricanes finished with a 34-20 edge in shots, in a rematch of last spring’s Eastern Conference Final, which Carolina won in five games on its way to the Stanley Cup. Dobes stopped 28 of 33 shots (.848) and Bussi stopped 16 of 20 (.800). The Canadiens went 1-for-6 on the power play, and Carolina went 1-for-5.

Coach’s Take

There is nothing to be happy about in this game. Carolina dominated most of the night with its structure, speed and forechecking. If their goaltender had played better, this could have been 6-2. The Canadiens could not create any offense all night, and they could not skate with the puck through the neutral zone. Carolina is one of the best teams at closing the gaps between the blue lines, and that is where and how games are won.

After three games, we can see that the Canadiens have problems as a team, and some individual players are struggling.

1. Too many goals against

The Canadiens gave up 12 goals and 64 shots in their last two games (one of the goals was into an empty net). We can talk about system coverage, lack of communication and cohesion, but there are many mental mistakes by different players. Tonight, on the first goal, Juraj Slafkovský gave the puck right back to a Carolina player in front of the net. Later, Noah Dobson sent the puck from the corner to the front of the net. That is not the system. These are bad plays and bad decisions by individual players, and they create turnovers and bad goals.

2. Dobes is far from the Dobes of last season

He had a good game in Toronto to open the season, but in the last two games Jakub Dobes allowed 11 goals, for a .825 save percentage. He does not look like the same Dobes. What is very noticeable is that he is all over the place, and he does not control his rebounds or stay square to the puck. He looks unbalanced, and I feel like he has lost some confidence. He has to find his way back.

You cannot blame him for the two losses, but you can see that he is not playing like he did in the playoffs or last season. After three games, he has a 4.43 goals-against average and a .857 save percentage.

3. Someone needs to tell them the season has started

Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, Jake Evans and Juraj Slafkovský have all had a difficult start. Each of them has one point, except Evans, who has none. Slafkovský scored his first goal of the season tonight, and Newhook and Dach each have one assist. Together, the four players have 11 shots in three games, and Slafkovský has five of them.

Dach played on the second line tonight and did nothing. We barely saw him in the game, and he finished with 9:38 of ice time and no shots. Slafkovský and Newhook also played on the second line and could not generate any attack together. It is painful to watch.

Conclusion

The Canadiens have to find a way to play better as a team in the next few games. They have to be better defensively and better in the second period. This team is better than what we saw in the last two games. It is early in the season, so there is no reason to panic, but it is important to understand what is going on with this team.

Next Game

The Canadiens are back at the Bell Centre on Thursday night, October 8, to host the Nashville Predators. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. ET. See the full Canadiens schedule and the injury report, and read the official NHL.com game recap of the home opener.