Comments / New

Canadiens vs. Bruins Top Six Minutes: Lehkonen and Carr make their case

Posted on by Stephen Demone

Pre-game Thoughts

  • Habs and Bruins live from Québec City.
  • The Habs have four cuts to make before the start of the season.
  • This is a huge game for Artturi Lehkonen, who is on the bubble in terms of making the team. He’s been good, but probably needs to show more to make it onto the opening night roster.
  • Mikael Sergachev’s situation is also interesting given he’d be one of a handful of players to crack the Habs lineup at eighteen if he continues to play so impressively. He lines up beside Jeff Petry tonight.
  • I like Brad Marchand when he’s wearing a red maple leaf on his jersey. I don’t think it will be long before I hate him again./

First Period

  • The game opens with a pretty brisk pace. The pace of the game seems to get the best of nineteen year-old Jake Debrusk who takes out Brian Flynn with a dangerous check from behind in the Habs’ zone to give them an early powerplay./

  • Uh, well, the powerplay didn’t look great, but the Habs moved the puck well and showed sparks of creativity that Kirk Muller can hopefully refine.
  • There is actually some good depth on this team. You kind of wish all the young guys could make it, but it will probably come down to one or two of Lehkonen, Sergachev, Andrighetto and McCarron who will make the opening night roster.
  • Kevin Miller blocks a cannon of a shot from the General, Andrei Markov, and leaves the ice “péniblement” (labourisly) because that probably hurt a lot.
  • Yes, I spell “labour” with a “u”, because I am from Canada and that’s also how you actually spell it.
  • Bruins get a powerplay with 11:32 left in the period. They test Montoya, but he’s been pretty solid, and looking like it will take a complete breakdown to beat him.
  • After a successful penalty kill, the Habs get trapped in their zone and give up the first goal of the game to Ryan Spooner:/

  • Andrew Shaw is back from suspension, and is stirring it up.  No penalties, but the ref gives him a talking too after he starts a scrum.
  • Lehkonen comes close to slipping a lose puck past Tuuka Rask but hits the post. Does a post count as a goal in the offseason?
  • The period ends with thirty-eight seconds left on the clock due to an issue with the glass. The extra time will be tacked onto the second period.
  • The Habs announce that Brian Flynn’s night is done due to neck pain. /

Second Period

  • Neck pain is going to be me watching the Habs game on my computer and Jays game on my TV behind me.
  • The… first period resumes with thirty-eight seconds remaining. The Habs nearly score with Max Pacioretty leading a three-on-one and opting for a low shot near-post that nearly fools Tuuka Rask.
  • The second period begins…
  • Mikael Sergachev gets hammered by Jimmy Hayes behind the Canadiens’ net, going down hard after taking a hit he never saw coming.
  • Christian Erhoff puts the Bruins up 2-0 on a blast from inside the faceoff circle as he’s left to walk in from the point and unload on Al Montoya.
  • Mike McCarron takes a slashing penalty trying to strip Brad Marchand of the puck in the corner. The Bruins don’t do much with the ensuing powerplay.
  • Montoya is looking good when he’s not being left hanging out to dry. He stops a Jimmy Hayes breakaway that keeps the Habs in the game with fifteen minutes left in the second.
  • This is what a goalie is for, keeping your team in the game while they get their s**t together.
  • Brendan Gallagher fell hard as he drove to the net and went flying into the boards, but will be okay. It looked pretty bad, but after a quick visit to the dressing room, he was back on the bench.
  • With seven minutes left, Zdeno Chara takes a hooking penalty.
  • Andrei Markov feeds Alex Galchenyuk with a perfect pass but those one-timers don’t come as easy this early in the season and he misses it. Or do they… Jeff Petry unloads one from the point over Rask’s shoulder on a feed from Andrei Markov to get the Habs back in the game.
  • It’s a TIE GAME! And it’s Artturi Lehkonen with the goal!
  • Brad Marchand takes a penalty with under a minute left in the period. The Habs aren’t able to get set up, and will begin the third period with 1:07 of powerplay time./

Third Period

  • Twenty seconds into the period Auston Czarnik outskates Andrei Markov for a loose puck and beats Al Montoya high to put the Bruins back in the lead.
  • This time the one-timer works for Alex Galchenyuk. He slams one home past Tuuka Rask on a pass from Jeff Petry to tie the game 3-3./

  • Zdeno Chara is getting booed.
  • Alex Radulov is going to do good things for the Habs this season.
  • The Habs earn a powerplay, with Philip Danault drawing the penalty. The Habs are two for three on the powerplay so far tonight.
  • The Habs have trouble getting set up on this one… no powerplay goal for them.
  • WOW. What a goal by Daniel Carr to put the Habs up 4-3 after an interception on Zdeno Chara by Mike McCarron. You can see the highlight below as this is sure to be the highlight of the night.
  • The Habs nearly make it 4-2  5-3after a Max Pacioretty shot strikes Tuuka Rask on the mask creating a rebound that leads to a flurry around the crease that ends when Rask’s mask falls off and play is halted.
  • Lehkonen on the ice with under a minute to go and scoops the puck down to the Bruins zone safely. He might have punched his ticket to the opening night lineup.
  • Daniel Carr also made a strong case for his place in the lineup on October 13.
  • That’s it, the Habs win this one 4-3!/

Habs Highlight of the Night

Lehkonen breaks the ice with a heck of a snipe!

Daniel Carr makes his case:

Support Habs Eyes On The Prize by signing up for Norton 360

Talking Points