COLUMBUS, Ohio | Samuel Montembeault has higher statistics than we were entitled to expect this season. His only bad game so far came at Columbus last week. Back at Nationwide Arena, he was able to erase this faux pas.
• Read also: “I could see the puck well, David too” – Samuel Montembeault
• Read also: CH: another clash against the Blue Jackets
The Bécancourois was solid from start to finish, paving the way for the Canadiens to win 3-1 over the Blue Jackets.
The two saves he made on breakaways from Mathieu Olivier and Gustav Nyquist, in the space of about fifteen seconds, at the start of the second period, greatly contributed to the Habs allowing a goal or less to his rivals for the first time this season.
“It gives momentum to the team and it allows the coach to breathe, launched Martin St-Louis about this sequence. The guards put bandages on the wounds. »
Two goals in 57 seconds
In sports jargon, wounds are mistakes. The CH players committed a few, although overall they put on a more solid performance than we’ve witnessed in the previous four encounters.
“I liked our start, compared to the last games. The Blue Jackets are not an easy team to play against. They defend themselves well, they don’t cheat,” indicated the head coach of the Canadiens.
“In general, we did a good job. It’s not that we were playing a great game, but we weren’t shooting each other in the foot. In the second, Sam got the team out of trouble. In the third period, I liked our response to the Blue Jackets goal. »
This answer is two goals scored in the space of 57 seconds, after Olivier had started the third period by opening the scoring. By the way, it was the Quebecer’s second goal this season, his second against the Canadiens.
Arber Xhekaj and David Savard, who haunted his former team by scoring the winning goal, successively beat Joonas Korpisalo to give the Montrealers a lead. A priority they were going to keep until the end.
Who will be in goal?
Montembeault’s excellent outing followed Jake Allen’s difficult evening the day before against the Buffalo Sabers. Moreover, New Brunswickers have been experiencing a certain slowdown lately.
In each of his four most recent outings, Allen has posted a sub-.900 save percentage. He has allowed at least four goals in five of his last six games. Will a performance like the one Montembeault delivered last night allow him to see action a little more often soon?
“Yes, performance can change the plan, but we will think about that on the road. For now, we’re savoring tonight’s victory [mercredi] », Satisfied himself with replying St-Louis.
Sean Monahan completed the scoring in an empty net.
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Samuel Montembeault
Some of the 31 shots he faced were not a gift Besides, stopping two breakaways on the same streak, while the score is still 0-0 at the start of the second period, is worth noting.
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Evgenii Dadonov
Seems tough every time he touches the puck Despite his experience of 429 regular NHL games, he often seems to make the wrong call Especially when the opposition is applying pressure He has caused a few turnovers, although NHL statisticians don’t tell him awarded none
First period
No goal
Penalties: Christiansen (Cls) 17:26
Second period
No goal
Penalties: Olivier (Cls) 1:17,
Gudbranson (Cls) (shift) 4:58,
Pezzetta (Mon) (shift) 4:58,
Kovacevic (Mon) 6:58,
Guhle (Mon) 15:55,
Bemstrom (Cls) 16:06
Third period
(Without help) 1:08
2-Mon: Arber Xhekaj (3)
(Evans, Slafkovsky) 2:38
3-Mon: David Savard (1)
(Dach, Caufield) 3:35
4-Mon: Sean Monahan (5)
(Without help) FD-18:07
(Without help) FD-18:07
Penalties: Anderson (Mon) 18:51
Shoot to the net
Montreal 7 – 10 – 12 – 29, Columbus 6 – 10 – 15 – 31
Guardians:
Mon: Samuel Montembeault (G, 4-2-1) Cls: Joonas Korpisalo (P, 3-3-1)
Numerical advantages:
Mon: 0 in 3, Cls: 0 in 3
Referees:
Garrett Rank, Pierre Lambert
Linesmen:
Kiel Murchison, Caleb Apperson
ASSISTANCE:
14,197
What we noticed…
Closer start to the game
Before last night’s game in Ohio, the head coach of the Canadiens, Martin St-Louis, had expressed the wish to see his troops get off to a better start. We can understand it. Of the 14 goals allowed in the first period since the start of the season, half had been in the last four games. Yesterday, the Habs limited the Columbus Blue Jackets to just six shots in the first period.
Pezzetta cashes in
Erik Gudbranson isn’t considered a brawler, but he’s rarely lost one of his 41 NHL fights. Michael Pezzetta found out the hard way when he threw the gloves at him in the second period. The Canadian striker has collected much more than he has distributed. In exchange, the Habs were a winner, since the Blue Jackets were deprived of one of the backs they use the most.
Rotation in defense
Arber Xhekaj and Johnathan Kovacevic were back on the roster after making way for Jordan Harris and Chris Wideman when the Buffalo Sabers visited the Bell Center the day before. For now, it appears to be the four players engaged in the roster rotation at the blue line.
Olivier makes Larsen happy
Since the beginning of the month, Mathieu Olivier’s average playing time has often been around 14 minutes per game. In the morning, Brad Larsen praised the work of his 25-year-old striker. “He makes sure to earn my trust by the way he plays. He’s a simple player, but he’s a better skater than people think. He throws himself on the forecheck, protects the puck, blocks shots,” said the coach.