Canadiens vs. Flames Top Six Minutes: Winning streak comes to a fiery end

For our new readers and members, the Top Six Minutes is a continuation of the discussion in the game thread. We try to keep it light and entertaining. Full recaps are up the morning after every game.

First Period

• The ice was melting to start the game leading to a delay while the refs mopped up the excess the water. These two teams must be hot.
• Alexei Emelin immediately making an impact is not a good thing when it’s a negative one.
• Midway through the first and the Flames lead 8-3 in shots on net. The Habs have shots from Dwight King, Andreas Martinsen and Alexei Emelin, three of the hottest shooters in the league.
• It’s not that the Canadiens are flat tonight, it’s just that they’re getting frustrated at every turn offensively. They’re losing a lot of puck battles in the Flames’ zone.
• The penalty kill has been looking very good since Claude Julien took over the team. A strong kill in the first period keeps it 1-0 heading into the second period...
• ...And the Habs are lucky to leave this period down just by one after giving up 16 shots./

Second Period

• The powerplay gets a fresh sheet of ice to start the second. Here’s their chance to draw even... but the Flames end up with more shot attempts than the Habs (2-0), go figure.
• Paul Byron and Kris Versteeg’s welterweight fight ends in a draw, but if I were to judge it I’d give it to Byron for landing the most punches.
• The Habs equal their first period shot total six minutes into this period. They’re still very much in this game.
• ...until that happens. Being down by two at this point is pretty daunting. Let’s see how the Habs respond.
• That may have been Brian Elliot’s first test of the game.
• Now time for the heavyweight fight... Steve Ott versus Matt Bartkowski. It’s an over-hyped matchup in the end.
• When the biggest moments from your team are two fights, your team isn’t playing well. By the time I finished typing that sentence the game went from 2-0 to 4-0.
• So it took me 26 seconds to type that sentence. (I type with one finger.)/

Third Period

• I remember that time the Habs came back from 5-0 against the Rangers like it was yesterday. Unfortunately, there’s no Alex Kovalev in the lineup tonight.
• Jeff Petry just jumped five feet off the ice trying to catch a puck. It was the most graceful thing I’ve ever seen. There’s definitely an alternate universe where Jeff Petry is a figure skating legend.
• I imagine a lot of east-coast TVs are starting to turn off now if they haven’t already.
• The Habs get a chance on the powerplay to at least get on the board. No go, and moments later Johnny Gaudreau makes it 5-0.
• It’s never good to hear the Ole song sung back to you mockingly. We get it, Habs fans are original. Mock us all you want.
• This game wasn’t fun to watch, but don’t forget the Habs just went on a six-game winning streak.../

Habs Highlight of the Game

Claude Julien listing all the positives from tonight's game: pic.twitter.com/mINi3duVR2

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) March 10, 2017

EOTP Three Stars

3. The Betty Boop streak comes to an end. Good times.

2. Yeah, about that...

3. Nuff said.