It’s all the Hometown Remix sweater’s fault

Obviously, the blame for the 5-4 loss rests on the alternate jerseys. The Canadiens haven't had much success in anything other than their regular uniform.

So the problem isn't the blue—it's the fact that they changed uniforms.

Joking aside, what caused the humiliating loss was the fact that the players in those jerseys played like crap for most of the game.

And in the end, Jacob Fowler couldn't hold the fort.

The Habs players, just like Donald Trump, got trounced yesterday. It feels weird to say that when the game went into overtime, but giving up five straight goals like that makes it the right word to use to describe the end of the game.

Josh Anderson, who took the loss yesterday, is right when he says that only Jacob Fowler played well yesterday. And he gave up five goals late in the game, which is awful.

Martin St-Louis, who seemed to be in denial (I'm exaggerating, I know) after the game—he was so calm when he spoke to reporters—is right in saying that the Habs, fundamentally, didn't deserve to win.

When a team gets outshot 87-47, things are going badly. Especially at even strength, I'd say.

But there's a difference between “not deserving the win” and “being unable to protect a win you don't deserve” late in the game. After all, a team loses games it deserves to win—and vice versa—over the course of a season.

And yesterday, the Habs needed to find a way to close out the game to avoid going down in history for the wrong reasons.

Yesterday's game—which makes me forget the great five-goal comeback against the Rangers from my youth—isn't the fault of any one player in particular. There are several factors to note.

For example?

1. People may say that the Xhekaj brothers' fights didn't allow the Jets to shift the momentum since they were already controlling the game. But after that, the Jets started scoring.

It's one thing for Arber to fight. The guys all appreciated it, and Martin St-Louis—who's never hesitated to punish the defenseman in the past—had nothing bad to say about him last night.

But afterward, Florian's lack of discipline (he tried to join his brother in the box, almost as if to imitate the Tkachuks) was really too much.

The loss certainly isn't entirely his fault, but let's just say it didn't help. And that's even though seeing the two brothers on the bench made for some incredible footage, especially since the Habs weren't in any trouble on the scoreboard.

2. Jacob Fowler has played nine games this season and has scored 20 goals. Nine of those goals have come since Saturday, in the games against the Penguins and the Jets. That's worth noting.

With the captain out of the lineup (having him in the lineup would certainly have helped), Fowler has managed to pick up three out of four points since returning home, which isn't bad.

But he still gave up five goals yesterday. And all five goals were conceded in a very short span of time.

Everyone in Montreal raved about his performance, and even the Jets' coach had high praise for him. In particular, he made what might just be the save of the year in the city.

But the fact remains that the wall he was at the start of the game crumbled. And even though he's not the guy we should be pointing the finger at, he made a negative impact late in the game.

We get why he was so damn mad after overtime.

For the past week, Jakub Dobes has been excellent against the Stars, while Jacob Fowler has given up nine goals in two games. That doesn't change the fact that the American is off to a better start to the season and that the European is a huge disappointment.

But who's going to play tomorrow? Dobes, who shouldn't be benched for too long? Fowler, to let him know he's allowed to have an off night without getting benched?

3. Late in the game, after the Canadiens failed to protect a lead (yet again…), Alexandre Carrier's penalty hurt the team's chances.

That's not like him. But yesterday, the Quebec native's penalty was one too many.

4. It's not all bad news. After all, when you're leading 4-0 late in the third period, you've done some things right—even if the opponent controlled the game.

Among those positives? Scoring twice (on four chances) on the power play. Cole Caufield, who now has at least one goal against every NHL team, was a key contributor on the power play yesterday. That's encouraging.

5. Josh Anderson may say the loss is his fault (I love that mindset), but the fact remains that he's off to a superb start to the season.

His goal yesterday was magnificent.

I feel like he's influencing a lot of guys. Players like Zachary Bolduc and Owen Beck, to name just a few, are undoubtedly drawing inspiration from the powerhorse in the way they play.

And just like Jake Evans two years ago, he's picked the right moment to have a superb start to the season. #ContractYear

6. We saw in the “Rebuild” series on Crave that Jeff Gorton is capable of getting his message across after an embarrassing loss at the Bell Centre.

I wonder how he reacted last night.

Overtime

This morning at 11:30 a.m., the Canadiens will practice. Will the practice be intense? Will we sense a sense of guilt among the players on the ice?

Because even though this loss shouldn't define the Canadiens' season, things need to change.

The silver lining of the loss is that the coaches will have an easier time convincing the players that things need to change moving forward.

With a 4-0 or even a 4-1 win, the mood would have been more celebratory.

I'm eager to see if Nick Suzuki will be on the first line at practice and if Alex Newhook will be on the fourth line, as was the case Monday morning.

Will Samuel Montembeault be at practice?