First period
- All four lines start off with play in the offensive zone. A good start.
- The crowd gives the fourth line a nice cheer after a physical shift that also saw a couple of near misses on offence.
- With their offensive-zone time totaling about 20 seconds, the Rangers get a power play as Kaiden Guhle’s stick gets stuck in feet on a cycle.
- Montreal’s penalty looks like less of a diamond and more like a … parallelogram I suppose. Two defencemen watching the cross-crease passes at least.
- As one defencemen heads off to battle in the corner, Sean Monahan quickly rotates down to the top of the crease, so that’s clearly a formation that they’re trying to maintain.
- Penalty survived, with happens less than 70% of the time for teams playing the Rangers this season.
- With one hand pinned by a forechecker, Juraj Slafkovsky moves his stick to his left hand and moves the puck, starting a breakout.
- After a change just seconds later, the score is 1-0 Montreal an Brendan Gallagher finds the top corner with a shot from the slot. He deserved one given his play on the road.
- Other than the power play, the Canadiens held the Rangers to very little in the first period. It was a very good start versus what is the NHL’s top team, and they have a lead to show for it.
Second period
- Montreal’s new-look third line comes through early in the second period. Jesse Ylönen moves the puck to the middle of the ice — as he does — and it gets to Sean Monahan. Monahan’s shot takes a deflection in front and flutters into the net for a 2-0 lead.
- Please cheer for Ylönen’s, great play, Bell Centre crowd.
- Now the fourth line gets in on the action, with a goal for Joel Armia. A nice pass from the corner by Mitchell Stephens, and another great shot from Armia.
- Three goals for the forwards and the top-line trio has zero points. This was a necessary development.
- The Rangers had a two-and-a-half minute shift, but I only saw one actual scoring chance as the Rangers’ possession was kept to the perimeter of the zone. A long sequence ends in Ylönen drawing hooking call as he dances through a gap between two forecheckers and has to be hooked by Chris Kreider.
- A very good shift by the top unit gets several shot on Quick. After about three from close range by Cole Caufield, the best is a one-time shot from Slafkovský on the opposite wing that needs a great glove save. Montreal gets credited with six shots on the power play.
- The Rangers get on the board with a shoulder-high tip in the slot from Vincent Trocheck. Hard to defend that one.
- Now the Rangers’ play in Montreal’s zone is bit more dangerous, with more plays to the inside.
- After a second straight icing call, the Rangers run a set play and get a quick goal from the stick of Trocheck to Artemiy Panarin’s makes it 3-2.
- Nick Suzuki just about completes the checklist of goals for each line, but clanks his shot off the post.
- Suzuki tries to wrap his stick over his shoulder to get back on hi forehand and whacks Kreider in the chin. The refs don’t think that was as good a thing to happen as I did.
- Another penalty kill, another two defencemen defending that cross-crease pass.
- The Rangers still have shooting options from further out, however. Zibanejad hits the post from the circle.
- A whole lot happened in that period to change the game not at all. It will be a one-goal lead for Montreal when the third period begins. It would be good to allow fewer than 21 shots, however.
Third period
- A more composed start to the third from Montreal. The team looks better once an opponent scrubs the “multi-” off their goal lead.
- The Canadiens have played a good six minutes, with more chances than the Rangers have had.
- A breakaway for Slafkovský, and open shots from close range for Armia and Caufield, but no fourth goal.
- The Habs did little wrong in this period, and yet it’s 3-3 after a point shot from Adam Fox gets tipped by Will Cuylle.
- Games like this are why you can’t throw two points away to the Buffalo Sabres.
- Jake Evans fires a one-timer off the post. You can’t say Montreal doesn’t deserve that fourth goal.
- Guhle goes to the box after getting turnstiled by Jonny Brodzinski and throwing out his stick to stop an open shot. He didn’t play that one-on-one very well, clearly.
- New York gets three good chances in the opening 30 seconds. It’s going to be a long final 90.
- A faceoff win takes care of 20 of them.
- Mike Matheson hits a post. Is there a promotion for which five posts equals a free goal?
- Montreal is putting together an excellent final few minutes looking for a winning goal in regulation.
- Two final chances in the final 11 seconds almost get it done, but this one will need overtime.
- Not nearly as lopsided as the shot counter suggests:
Overtime
- Christian Dvorak won’t be started in overtime.
- Mike Matheson races in but gets checked before he can get a shot. Cole Caufield follows it up with another look.
- I do like seeing Jayden Struble taking a shift in OT.
- It ends up being two minutes long, so it may be a while before he gets another one.
- Montembeault comes up with a massive save to keep this game going
- Montreal gets a power play after Slafkovský stole the puck from K’Andre Miller behind the Rangers net and got held.
- They has a few chances in this length of time to end the third.
- Matheson makes an ill-advised pass along the blue line, and the Rangers end up being the team with two good chances to end the overtime. Montembeault saves the day yet again. That’s a total of 49 shots, and the last handful were of the dangerous variety.
Shootout
- Nick Suzuki leads things off. Quick follows his dekes perfectly
- Panarin’s backhand goes wide.
- Caufield swings wide, and waits to see his spot before firing in a lightning-quick shot for a 1-0 lead.
- Zibanejad tries the Peter Forsberg, but Montembeault’s cat-like reflexes twist him around to get the paddle on it.
- Well that might be the fifth post. Ylönen hits it.
- Montembeault makes one more save, and the Canadiens get the second point.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) Well, HuGo and that coveted NYC anonymity
2) Not a lot, it turns out
1) What Sabres game?
