- Shea Weber looks about an uncomfortable as a man could possibly be as he stands at centre ice and listens to a long ovation from the crowd. He keeps his speech short and to the point, and that’s what you would expect.
First period
- David Savard was a late scratch with what is being called an upper-body injury, so both Justin Barron and Jayden Struble are in the lineup tonight.
- Alex Newhook just misses his shot and would would likely have been a goal if it had been on target.
- Cole Caufield is called for slashing as Adam Fantilli’s stick explodes. That supernatural strength of his strikes again.
- Not to worry. The Canadiens gets two chances in the offensive zone, and Jake Evans draws a hooking call on the second.
- Once again we see the drop pass to stall the defence followed by a quick up on the wing to Kirby Dach, who speeds down the wing for a scoring chance. That’s a clear strategy.
- Caufield decides to pass the puck back to Mike Matheson for a loud one-time shot. Juraj Slafkovský leaps in front of Daniil Tarasov, and the goalie had no chance of seeing that shot.
Mike Matheson with his first of the year and the Habs are up 1-0!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) November 16, 2024 at 8:30 PM
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- Xhekaj’s stick is knocked away, and Montreal is right back on the man advantage.
- If Dach could stop telegraphing his passes, he’d start to find success again. He has the right ideas, the execution is just too slow.
- Though the power play has ended, the puck has stayed in the Columbus end for another two shifts.
- Columbus’s top line very nearly ties it up. They’re a dangerous unit.
- Montreal has eight shots through just over nine minutes of play.
- Sportsnet seems to have its crowd mics in Scotiabank Arena mode tonight. Not much ambience coming through at all. Unless you count Garry Galley’s voice.
- Sean Monahan wanted to play with Lane Hutson’s stick, and the refs don’t allow that kind of thing.
- I don’t like the drop pass after already gaining the blue line. More risk than any reward you could get from it.
- Matheson has decided he’s Weber now. Another one-time bomb, but this one is blocked.
- Kaiden Guhle carried the puck with one hand while shielding off his man with the other. Things you can do when playing your strong side.
- There are so many more plays where skaters try to twist and turn out of close coverage to gain a bit of space. The Hutson Effect.
- Hutson hits another post. His fifth or sixth.
- A very good period for Montreal. I’m really not sure how Columbus got credited with 11 shots in those 20 minutes.
Second period
- A couple of chances for Montreal to start.
- Columbus has a tap-in, but Matheson ties up the stick of his man at the side of the crease.
- The Blue Jackets are beginning to get the puck to the slot more than they did in the first.
- They take advantage of their zone time with a tying goal from Dante Fabbro through a four-layer screen.
- Xhekaj and Mathieu Olivier drop the gloves and start firing rights. Xhekaj took a few, staggered, but stayed in the battle. The scoring goes to Olivier, but Xhekaj hung in there.
Mathieu Olivier and Arber Xhekaj throw down Some serious hands being thrown in this one
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) November 16, 2024 at 9:32 PM
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- Slafkovský’s stick breaks again, but he snapped that one over the boards after a frustrating shift.
- Tarasov just stopped two high-quality chances that should have had Montreal back on top.
- That was the first real moment of offence the Canadiens have mustered in this period.
- Tarasov can’t stop Suzuki when he has time to wind up and pick his spot. The captain males it 2-1.
Arber Xhekaj starts the play and Nick Suzuki finishes it Habs up 2-1
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) November 16, 2024 at 9:45 PM
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- Xhekaj got an assist on the play, so he’s a goal away from the Gordie Howe hat trick.
- Let’s hope Montreal has a better strategy for playing with this lead than the 1-0 one.
- A great recovery after that failed attempt to protect the lead. They probably need another goal in the third to seal this one.
Third period
- The third period begins with an offensive-zone penalty on Joel Armia.
- Brendan Gallagher gets sent in alone by a quick pass from Christian Dvorak, but Tarasov makes the save. He doesn’t look like a goalie with an .865 save percentage.
- The Blue Jackets think they can let up a bit with the fourth line on the ice. Lucas Condotta makes them pay after getting left alone in the slot.
Lucas Condotta finishes the Joel Armia pass 3-1 Habs
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) November 16, 2024 at 10:29 PM
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- Just a minute later, Caufield finds himself too deep to take a shot, so he finds Jake Evans at the top of the crease instead. 4-1 Montreal.
A 100th career point for Jake Evans on this goal Really slick pass by Cole Caufield as well
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) November 16, 2024 at 10:32 PM
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- Jayden Struble might need to pay more attention to the height of his stick. This call comes too late to make a difference in this game.
- Columbus pulls Tarasov with about five minutes to play.
- Fantilli knocks Guhle’s stick away, and Tarasov has to come back in.
- The goalie might as well have stayed on the bench. Josh Anderson makes a screen in front and tips in Matheson’s point shot to make it 5-1.
Right off the draw it's Josh Anderson deflecting Mike Matheson's shot 5-1 Habs
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) November 16, 2024 at 10:40 PM
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- Now the crowd, as dull as it sounds on the broadcast, can sing “Olé!”
- Caufield goes after Labanc at centre ice. The Canadiens’ newest bruiser goes to the box for roughing.
- Montreal hangs on for the win. They’re stringing good games together now. Don’t count the playoffs out just yet.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) The game threatened to get away there, but they reeled it back in
2) Important perspective
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