First period
- You can’t get a worse start than that. Mike Matheson misplays the puck behind his net, and Dallas has a 1-0 lead 11 seconds in.
- That’s not a good amount of time today.
- The Canadiens were unfazed by the goal and found their legs, and now they’ve tied the game, thanks to Juraj Slafkovský’s puck-stealing abilities and Nick Suzuki’s one-time release.
- Now the Canadiens have a lead, because Kaiden Guhle pounced on a long rebound and beat Scott Wedgewood five-hole.
- In the last three games, the shots-against totals have been four, four, and five. That’s pretty good, especially considered how the Stars came out to start.
Second period
- The energy is high to start the second, and the teams have already nearly matched the first-period shot totals through four minutes of play
- The defence gets another goal. This one from Jordan Harris, which gives every defenceman who has played for Montreal this season at least one.
- I think we need to change the name to “offencemen.”
- The Stars are controlling the play with the score 3-1 for Montreal. So far Samuel Montembeault is holding the fort.
- Josh Anderson for called for not much at all after the crowd complained about a non-call. The kill was strong, with just one dangerous moment around Montembeault.
- The Stars were the better team in that period in terms of shots, but the Canadiens did a great Tampa Bay Lightning impression by scoring the only goal. It’s going to be a tough 20 minutes to see this one to the finish line, however.
- Meanwhile, Montreal’s PWHL team has just won it’s first game in overtime.
Third period
- Josh Anderson barges onto the ice with a strong shift to open the period. His reward is stick right into his nose, but that’s a four-minute power play for Montreal to take a stranglehold of this game.
- The power play doesn’t come through but there are now 15 minutes to play out in this one.
- The Canadiens give up two odd-man rushes back-to-back. Not something you should be allowing with a two-goal lead. You need some controlled aggression in that situation.
- The Habs are back on the power play after a Joe Pavelski penalty.
- They do make this one count with a tic-tac-toe goal for Cole Caufield on his 23rd birthday.
- That’s his 11th, and a three-game goal streak.
- The Habs get a chance to really put this one away when an aggressive push from the Stars allows a three-on-one. Brendan Gallagher makes a nice move to get into the slot, but his drought remains.
- Anderson is limping off the ice after getting tangled up in the neutral zone. After a blocked shot and a stick to the face, that looked like the worst injury of all.
- Montembeault is determined to hold this score at 4-1. He’s making save after save in the past few minutes.
- Wedgewood is pulled with over six minutes to play.
- With four minutes to play, the Stars make it 4-2.
- They come close again, and a TV timeout gives the Habs a moment to regroup.
- Jason Robertson makes it 4-3 as the Habs can’t hit the open net. Two minutes remain.
- You have to find a way to hang on here.
- I think that’s about six icings now with the net empty. Seventeen seconds to go.
- Joel Armia saves the game by preventing the puck being tapped into the open side. The Canadiens hang on to win 4-3, heading home from seven games on the road with a 3-3-1 record.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) Making every player around him better, which is a great thing
2) It seems like a winning strategy so far
1)
