The Montreal Canadiens take on the opponent they’ve struggled the most against since the turn of the century. Maybe this is finally the night for a team that hasn’t beaten many other teams this season anyway.
1st period
- A good chance from Jonathan Drouin, then a great follow-up shift that requires a big save from Adin Hill. It’s just the kind of start Montreal needed … minus the goal to go with it, of course.
- The Sharks are starting to get their zone time now. Jake Allen is looking more engaged in the game tonight at least.
- Another big save on a counter-attack.
- Joel Armia needs to work on his sleight of hand after being caught with a very obvious holding-the-stick penalty.
- A short-handed three-on-two for Montreal, and Lehkonen’s rebound opportunity just gets wedged between Hill’s pad and the post. This is the best way to improve the penalty kill.
- Lehkonen gets another shot after the penalty expires, but just can’t get it over the goalie’s pad. Good work from the Finn so far, however.
- Down to eight minutes remaining in the first with very few whistles. Great news for a game that started at 11:30 Atlantic.
- There’s a whistle, and it’s because Mike Hoffman scored
- Another quality setup from Drouin. He hasn’t connected yet, but the team needs that willingness to try skilled plays.
- And again he’s at the centre of another dangerous scoring opportunity.
- After being behind 8-2 in shots (it didn’t feel that lopsided), Habs now up 9-8.
- The task of winnning this game would be a lot easier if Armia would stop taking penalties.
- Good positioning on the PK. San Jose hasn’t managed much of anything. Lehkonen thwarts their one chance.
- The horn sounds, and the Canadiens are holding onto a lead./
2nd period
- The Dvorak line gets the call first in the middle period, and Drouin dekes out his man to get a shot on goal.
- Jeff Petry decides to skate between two forecheckers through the crease with the puck for … some reason. There’s no goal, but there is a third penalty to kill.
- Allen is the best penalty-killer on this occasion.
- And a massive save on a two-on-one from the netminder. This performance is making up for the one in Seattle.
- Montreal goes to the power play as Gallagher goes down. It was probably just a good stick check from Jacob Middleton, but the Canadiens were due one.
- Not Petry’s greatest game. Some really odd decisions, the latest of which needs an intervention from Nick Suzuki to prevent a short-handed breakaway.
- Alexnader Romanov has the better idea. A big slapshot from the end of the blue line beats Hill for a 2-0 lead.
- An excellent stick from Josh Anderson strips the puck deep in the Sharks’ zone, and his pass to the crease very nearly results in a goal from Mathieu Perreault.
- Drouin is everywhere tonight.
- He’s not quite as flashy with his moves, but Lehkonen is all over the puck as well. His hustle after a dump-in results in zone time for Montreal, and then a power play.
- Now it’s a goal, off the thigh of Brendan Gallagher psoted up in his office.
- If you read the preview today, you’ll know this is the first time Montreal has scored three goals versus San Jose since 2011.
- Sharks call timeout to try to regroup. Haven’t seen that much from an opponent this year.
- Savard goes to the box fro dropping to block a shot that had already come and just tripping up his player instead. It’s just another chance for Lehkonen to do his thing.
- Montreal also has a lead after two periods, and it’s a big one./
3rd period
- San Jose is determined to get a goal in the opening minutes of the third, but Allen is having none of it.
- A long defensive-zone presence ends with Hill trying to catch Montreal on a change, but giving them a break with an icing instead.
- The Canadiens go to the power play with a chance to seal it. But they don’t.
- Now it’s the Allen show as he tries to preserve a thing goalies like to have.
- We’ve entered the final commercial break with the 3-0 lead still intact.
- And Josh Anderson hits the empty net with two minutes left to end the decades-long drought.
- Romanov brings what a good game for him, with a goal and several key blocked shots, to an end with a fight.
- The horn sounds, and the nightmare is over. It’s a 4-0 win, and a hard-earned 45-save shutout for Jake Allen./
EOTP 3 Stars
3) Joel Armia’s penalties in the first certainly scared me
2) This seems reasonable enough, though I’d settle for no 7:30/8:00 Pacific starts
1) Gem Of A Tilt
