3 least impressive Montreal Canadiens players from 5-4 S/O loss to Colorado Avalanche feat. David Savard

The Montreal Canadiens have had an impressive last several weeks, putting themselves into a Wild Card playoff position and being on track to return to the playoffs for the first time since their surprise run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.

However, they were unable to get the job (fully) done on Saturday night against the visiting Colorado Avalanche at Bell Centre. The Avalanche picked up a 5-4 victory via the shootout, improving their record to 43-25-8, while the Habs are now 33-27-9.

The Avalanche quickly asserted their will against the Canadiens, taking a 3-0 lead by the early second period thanks to goals from Sam Malinski and Ryan Lindgren along with Martin Necas. Juraj Slafkovsky got the Canadiens back into the contest with his 15th goal, only to have the Avalanche return the favor with a goal from Brock Nelson.

However, the Canadiens mounted an impressive comeback effort with a trio of third period goals in short order, starting with a tally from Joshua Roy. 30 seconds later, Slafkovsky scored again to cut the lead to one goal, which was followed by the tying marker from Christian Dvorak:

Neither team found the back of the net in overtime, setting up a shootout. Colorado's Charlie Coyle and Montreal's Patrik Laine both scored for their respective teams before the eventual deciding goal was scored from Nelson.

MacKenzie Blackwood stopped 25 shots as part of the win, while Sam Montembeault made 33 saves in a losing effort.

3 least impressive Montreal Canadiens players from 5-4 S/O loss to Colorado Avalanche

#1. David Savard

The Canadiens defenseman, playing in the final year of his contract, was rumored to be on the move at the trade deadline before Montreal management decided to keep him.

However, his performance against the Avalanche was lacking. He finished tied for a team-worst -2 rating while also committing a giveaway with no points scored.

#2. Josh Anderson

A forward that the Canadiens have been getting positive contributions from during their recent winning streak, Josh Anderson wasn't at his best against the Avalanche.

He not only finished with a -1 rating but also took a costly penalty; he also finished with no points.

#3. Arber Xhekaj

The bruising Canadiens blue liner had a tough night at the office against the Avalanche, finishing with a -2 rating after having gotten caught out of position multiple times.

His lone highlight was picking up a five-minute fighting major.