Michael Matheson is wearing this one, and Canadiens fans weren't shy about saying so after tonight's loss to Nashville.
“Absolutely comical. That should be a win and Mike Matheson made sure it couldn't be,” Matt Drake wrote.
Another fan argued the team cuts him too much slack, writing that he took a penalty, Montreal got scored on, and he was right back on the ice.
“The ‘he eats minutes' argument is tired,” a third wrote, adding that big minutes mean nothing when the same mistakes show up every night.
The numbers don't help his case. Matheson came into tonight sitting at a -3 rating with a single assist through 3 games.
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At $6,000,000 against the cap, Montreal needs more than minutes from him. It needs fewer mistakes when a game is still up for grabs.
It's like the friend who always offers to drive and always gets lost. Eventually, somebody takes the keys.
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Martin St-Louis has a serious Michael Matheson problem now
Matheson started the night on the second pair with Alexandre Carrier, who came in at +3.
Martin St-Louis also paired Lane Hutson with Noah Dobson tonight, and even some frustrated fans said that switch helped.
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The back end was already stretched after Arber Xhekaj's misconduct left Montreal with five defensemen for the first half of the third.
Hutson also went to the box earlier on a call where his stick never touched Steven Stamkos.
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So what does St-Louis do with Matheson now?
Jayden Struble didn't dress tonight, and he's the obvious name if the coach wants to shake things up on the blue line.
The Canadiens have now gone three straight games without a win since a 3-2 opening victory in Toronto.
Detroit visits Saturday, followed by Buffalo at home on Tuesday and a trip to Washington on Wednesday.
That's three games in five days, and the patience inside the building might run shorter than the schedule.
If the 32-year-old dresses Saturday, every touch will be judged. How much rope does the home crowd give him?
Should Martin St-Louis scratch Michael Matheson against Detroit on Saturday?
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