3 least impressive Montreal Canadiens players from 4-3 loss to New York Rangers ft. Samuel Montembeault

The Montreal Canadiens blew a 2-0 lead to drop a 4-3 decision to the New York Rangers on Saturday night at the Bell Centre. The Habs surrendered three third-period goals and fell behind to a struggling Rangers team.

Artemi Panarin scored the game-winner at 5:51 of the third. It was the third goal in a span of about five minutes that also saw Matthew Robertson and J.T. Miller (PPG) score. Also, Mika Zibanejad added a power play goal for New York. Nick Suzuki had a power play goal of his own, with Juraj Slafkovsky and Noah Dobson adding the others for the Montreal Canadiens.

So, here’s a look at the three least impressive Montreal Canadiens players from their loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday night.

3 least impressive Montreal Canadiens players from loss to New York Rangers

#3 Mike Matheson

The Montreal Canadiens veteran blue liner got burned twice while on the penalty kill. First, Mika Zibanejad’s first-period rocket put the Rangers on the board.

Here’s a look:

Matheson played in the box as Panarin got the puck back to the point, where Adam Fox fed Zibanejad. It’s worth pointing out that Matheson could have tried to force Panarin on the puck. Instead, he stood back and watched Zibanejad rip one home past Samuel Montembeault.

Matheson played a team-high 24:21 against the Rangers.

#2 Zack Bolduc

Zack Bolduc has gotten off to a solid start with the Montreal Canadiens this season. However, he had a forgettable game against the Rangers. Bolduc skated in just a little over 14 minutes across 17 shifts. While he had two shots on goal, his defensive play left fans wanting more.

His role in the Rangers’ 4-2 marker is a good example. Here’s a look:

Bolduc can be seen puck-watching in between the circles. As he chases the puck, he’s unable to prevent the play along the boards from coming back to the point. Then, Bolduc tries to prevent the shot from the point. But Robertson’s blast gets through traffic in front and beats Montembeault.

Moving forward, the Canadiens will be expecting Bolduc to play a more meaningful defensive role for the team.

#1 Samuel Montembeault

Despite the highly specific defensive lapses that cost the Montreal Canadiens, they played a solid game. They kept the Rangers to just 22 shots. However, goalie Samuel Montembeault was unable to shut the door and hold the lead for the Habs.

He made 18 saves on the night, but did not make a crucial save during the third-period sequence that saw New York score three goals in about five minutes.

While Montembeault was steady during the rest of the third period, it was a little too late for the Canadiens to win the game.

The Habs will be back in action on Monday night as they take on the Buffalo Sabres at the Bell Centre.

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Edited by Nestor Quixtan