Call of the Wilde: Montreal Canadiens clock 4 straight losses after being shut out by Wild

The Montreal Canadiens person mislaid their astir implicit defenceman for apt the remainder of the season.

Kaiden Guhle suffered a lacerated quadricep musculus connected Tuesday nighttime that required country to repair. Guhle fell and chopped his thigh with his ain skate.

Guhle was playing the champion hockey of his vocation becoming a existent first-pair defender, beardown successful each aspects of the game. He can’t beryllium replaced, but Jayden Struble was fixed the duty against the Minnesota Wild astatine the Bell Centre.

The Canadiens had a unspeakable clip generating offence, falling 4-0 arsenic Marc-Andre Fleury got a shutout successful his last crippled successful his location province.

That is 4 consecutive losses for Montreal.

Wilde Horses

Being honest, lone the runs clip was a affirmative arsenic this achy nighttime took lone 2 hours and 15 minutes to determination into the nonaccomplishment column. Montreal starts a three-game location basal successful California Sunday afternoon. They request to crook it astir opening successful Anaheim.

From a Minnesota constituent of view, the longstanding ovation that Fleury received precocious successful the 3rd play was heartwarming. Regardless of the score, the fans successful Montreal ne'er suffer their absorption connected past being made, and the value of the moment.

Hopefully, for them, they volition soon person their moments to observe again, alternatively of the visitors’ glory.

Wilde Goats 

The Canadiens person lone 1 triumph successful their past 19 games against the Wild aft yet different defeat. Minnesota is the champion roadworthy nine successful the full league, and they showed however they bash it. They play choky hockey, relying connected defence first.

They springiness you astir nary opportunities. Montreal had lone 7 shots astatine the halfway people successful the contest. They had lone 1 prime accidental erstwhile Patrik Laine and Christian Dvorak had a 2-on-1. The Wild defender gave Laine the changeable moving implicit to screen Dvorak. Strangely, Laine tried a pass.

By the clip the Canadiens had their 2nd chance, it was already 2-0 for Minnesota. The mode they play, it was already over. The Canadiens had lone 8 shots successful the archetypal 2 periods.

It’s a four-game losing skid for Montreal. They are present connected gait for 85 points. To punctuation Bob Dylan: It’s not acheronian yet, but it’s getting there.

Wilde Cards 

Ivan Demidov continues his outstanding play successful the KHL arsenic helium counted a chapeau instrumentality earlier this week. On Thursday afternoon, helium helped SKA St. Petersburg triumph successful a shootout, with the winning effort connected an outstanding deke.

Demidov has 19 games near successful his season, and helium is already connected the verge of passing the top seasons successful KHL past successful 2 imaginable categories that are yardsticks for a palmy vocation successful the NHL.

The archetypal is draft-plus-one wherever the apical people successful past was turned successful lone past play with Matvei Michkov counting 41 points successful 48 games. This season, Demidov deed the 48-game people with 19 goals and 21 assists for 40 points. He volition walk that, barring injury, adjacent week.

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The different yardstick of occurrence is the champion under-20 play held by Kirill Kaprizov who had 42 points successful 49 games successful 2017. His people volition besides beryllium obliterated shortly.

Comparisons with Demidov volition beryllium hard successful the aboriginal considering the docket has expanded to 68 games this season. The easiest examination is points-per-game-per-60 minutes, which is simply a smoothing mechanics that besides factors crystal time.

This is wherever Demidov perfectly shines successful stunning ways. Demidov has a singular 4 points-per-game per 60 minutes of crystal time. Next is Michkov with 3 PPG/60. No 1 other comes close.

Not to get into a agelong statement which of the 2 Russian prospects volition beryllium amended — due to the fact that some volition beryllium fantabulous successful the extremity — but Demidov is besides an outstanding antiaircraft subordinate 2nd connected his nine with a plus-22. He besides has a amended carnal profile, which is important successful the NHL arsenic well.

Demidov has a accidental to beryllium the archetypal 100-point subordinate connected the Canadiens since Mats Naslund counted 110 successful 1986.

It’s been an highly agelong clip since the Canadiens had this breathtaking an violative prospect.

Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde connected globalnews.ca aft each Canadiens game.