The Montreal Canadiens lost their second straight game to the Washington Capitals on Wednesday, and star forward Patrik Laine had a particularly tough outing. Now, analyst Kevin Bieksa has shared his honest thoughts on Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis’ tough decision regarding Laine, surprising many with his take.
Although the Washington Capitals finished the season as the top seed in the Eastern Conference, many believed the Montreal Canadiens could pull off an upset in the first round of the playoffs. They entered the season strong and added generational talent Ivan Demidov late in the regular season. But so far, things haven’t gone as planned.
The Canadiens lost their second straight game to the Capitals on Wednesday, although it was a tight affair in Game 2. The Capitals ultimately won 3-1 to take a 2-0 series lead. While it was a heartbreaking evening for all Canadiens fans, it was especially tough for Patrik Laine.
Bieksa’s take on Patrik Laine’s benching
The star forward played zero shifts in the third period, even though the Canadiens were desperately in need of a goal to tie the game. He finished the game with just 10:10 minutes of ice time, and postgame, the Sportsnet panel discussed the decision, with Elliotte Friedman stating that Laine should’ve been on the ice. Kevin Bieksa, on the other hand, didn’t agree.
“I won’t be as nice as you. There’s no chance you put him on the ice,” Bieksa said (h/t Sportskeeda).
“You had a 14-to-5 shot advantage in the third. He doesn’t play for most of the third,” Bieksa continued. “You’re saying, put him on with the goalie pulled? He hasn’t created anything all game. He didn’t have a very good first game. I think it’s an easy decision. It’s an easy choice.”
Bieksa also argued there were more fitting players to have on the ice than Laine.
“You’ve got guys who are going — Jake Evans is going to work,” he added. “Those are the guys you put on instead of him. I don’t think the upside is good enough. I don’t think there’s that one chance, because I think he’s just as likely to turn the puck over as he is to put it in the back of the net.”
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