The Canadiens win 5-2 in Edmonton

(Edmonton) Before Saturday’s games, the Canadiens occupied the 31^and ranking in the NHL for his efficiency on the power play and on the penalty kill.

The Montreal team still won the special teams battle against the Edmonton Oilers, en route to a 5-2 victory Saturday at Rogers Place.

Brendan Gallagher and Nick Suzuki scored on the power play for the Habs, while Artturi Lehkonen was credited with a shorthanded goal.

The Oilers were the third-best power-play unit in the Bettman league, but they finished the night 0-for-4.

“I think our power play is starting to have an identity,” said the Canadiens’ interim head coach, Martin St-Louis. It’s something that’s hard to explain, but as a player and a coach, you see it and notice it. The special teams did a lot of work for us.

“I’m very proud of the guys. »

Suzuki also had two assists, as did Chris Wideman, while Cole Caufield had a goal and an assist for the Canadian (15-34-7). Mike Hoffman also hit the target and Samuel Montembeault stopped 29 shots.

Suzuki has therefore amassed seven points in four games since the beginning of the Habs’ journey, after being limited to 13 points in its first 26 meetings on hostile ground this season.

“I was told he needed to improve on the road and I replied that I didn’t have a benchmark yet. To date, I find it very good,” said St-Louis, tongue-in-cheek.

The Canadiens have now won seven of their last eight games.

“As a team, we played with surgical precision,” said St-Louis. We were specific in what we wanted to do. When we play like that, we are hard to face. Every team works hard, but we did a good job of reading the game in front of us and making good decisions. »

Ryan McLeod and Evander Kane replied for the Oilers (30-22-4), who have just two wins in their last seven outings (2-4-1). Mike Smith stopped 24 shots.

Connor McDavid was cleared from the scoresheet for the 13^and times only this season, while Leon Draisaitl has been limited to one assist.

Mathieu Perreault was back in the Canadiens’ lineup, taking over from Jake Evans, who suffered an upper body injury. Perreault was competing in a 700^and NHL career game.

The Canadiens will wrap up their five-game trip on Wednesday, when they visit the Vancouver Canucks.

The team announced that forwards Christian Dvorak, Paul Byron and Jonathan Drouin, as well as goaltender Jake Allen will join the team in Vancouver to resume training with the squad. However, they do not yet have the green light to play.

Very special units

Both teams quickly generated scoring opportunities and it was finally the Canadian who opened the scoring after 10:58 of play.

Caufield intercepted a weak clearance from defender Markus Niemelainen and then beat Smith with a sharp shot into the top.

The Oilers replied 22 seconds later. Kane won his battle in the corner, then Draisaitl joined him in net. Kane pivoted and found the opening.

The Canadian took the lead with 38.5 seconds left in the first period, on the power play. Gallagher ended an 18-game scoreless drought by pushing a comeback behind Smith.

Montembeault stood out in the last moments of the first engagement. He frustrated McDavid on a point-blank one-timer, then robbed Draisaitl with his mitt, even though there was no time left on the clock.

Gallagher got a golden chance to quickly score another goal, escaping early in the second period. Smith, however, made the save with his shield.

The Oilers tied the game 2-2 at 5:37 of the second period. McLeod took advantage of a loose puck at the mouth of the net after a save by Montembeault against Zach Hyman. Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis disputed the goal, believing Hyman had interfered with his goalkeeper’s work, but video officials ruled Canadiens defender Kale Clague pushed Hyman towards Montembeault.

Suzuki restarted the Canadian on the power play midway through the second period, but he had to do it twice. His first goal was canceled because there was offside when entering the zone. Suzuki redeemed himself at 10:17, scoring from almost identical play.

The Canadian was not at the end of his troubles with the video reviews. Laurent Dauphin outmaneuvered Smith later in the second period. Again, the goal was ruled out due to offside following a protest by the Oilers.

Lehkonen gave the Habs a first two-goal cushion by scoring at 10:15 of the final period. He hit the ball shorthanded – as a four-on-four streak came to an end – and benefited from perfect staging by Brett Kulak.

The Oilers replaced Smith with an extra forward with just under four minutes to go and Hoffman quickly delivered the knockout blow.

Locker Room Echoes

Brett Kulak was often matched against Connor McDavid and successfully countered the star player.

“You have to know when he is on the ice and where he is on the ice. I try to get into his shoes and anticipate what he can do. He likes to look for openings to expose the opponent. You have to follow him well because he excels at coming out of nowhere and generating scoring chances. »

Brendan Gallagher stressed that players need not be discouraged when decisions by video managers do not go in their favor.

“Since the start of the season, we have faced so much adversity. It’s hard to shake us right now! We learned the hard way and we are mentally strong right now. »

Samuel Montembeault was at a 27^and out this season. He was happy to redeem himself after Tuesday’s underperformance in Winnipeg, but said he’s feeling more and more comfortable in front of the net.

“I worked very hard at the start of the season to get there. By playing a lot, the challenge is to be consistent every night. Currently, things are going well. The more I play, the more confidence I gain. The guys also play well in front of me, which helps me in my job. »