A controversial goal weighs down the Canadiens in overtime

The Montreal Canadiens found a new way to lose Thursday night after two streak controversies gave the Chicago Blackhawks a 3-2 victory in overtime.

After accepting a pass to the Canadian’s blue line, Philipp Kurashev came towards goalkeeper Samuel Montembeault before being checked by Mike Hoffman and ending his race – with the puck – in the back of the CH net. , at 2:24 of the extra period.

The first review, whether Kurashev harmed Montembeault’s work, turned in favor of the Hawks, then the Canadian asked for another review when entering the territory since he felt that Kurashev was offside. It also played against CH, sealing the outcome of the match at the same time. Canadian head coach Dominique Ducharme fumed after the game.

“What surprises me the most is that we are 0-in-2 on the sequence, pestered Ducharme. We moved the net. I see it’s red.

“We must be 0-in-10 on calls like these, the rest of us, he continued, very irritated. So yes, it’s “tough” to swallow, that’s for sure. In addition, we risk seeing another of our players receive a suspension tonight, or a fine, in front of a referee. And there was not even a punishment (on the sequence). »

Jeff Petry — a first goal in 54 games (including playoffs) — and Mike Hoffman — on the power play! — hit the target for the Canadian (7-24-5), who extended his losing streak to five.

Dominik Kubalik, Patrick Kane and Kurashev blackened the scoresheet for the Blackhawks (14-18-5), who signed a third straight victory.

Montembeault was solid in the loss, with 28 saves in front of the Habs goal. Montembeault replaced goaltender Jake Allen on Wednesday against the Boston Bruins after he was injured in the first period. The CH has also placed Allen’s name on the injured list, and Ducharme has indicated that he will be absent for at least a week.

For his part, Marc-André Fleury stopped 27 shots in front of the Hawks net. It was the fifth consecutive start for the Quebecer.

The Canadian was playing a second game in 24 hours, after losing 5-1 to the Bruins the day before. And things got off to a bad start, as has often been the case since the start of the 2021-22 season.

Kubalik opened the scoring on the breakaway for the Hawks at 7:42 of the first period. Far from being defeated, the Canadian bounced back nicely on his return from the first intermission.

Petry first brought the two teams back to square one by vibrating the ropes at 12:41. Alexander Romanov then signaled himself by applying a hard-hitting check at the expense of Sam Lafferty, immediately sparking a fight between Ryan Carpenter and him. A game that Ducharme did not digest.

“He’s a guy (Romanov) who applies good checks, solid and clean. It’s part of hockey. If you don’t want to be on the ice and take hits, do something else,” he snapped.

It caused a numerical superiority in favor of the visitors, and Hoffman took the opportunity to thread the needle with 1: 44 to play in the commitment. It was the first goal for CH on the power play in 10 games.

Bad habits, however, are hard to break.

Kane therefore took advantage of Petry’s indiscipline at the start of the third period to beat Montembeault with a precise shot on the power play, after 2: 21 of play. This net at the same time set the table for the victorious net from Kurashev in overtime .

It should be noted that defender Chris Wideman, suspended for one match, missed the meeting, as did his teammate Sami Niku. They were replaced in the starting lineup by Romanov and Corey Schueneman.

On offense, Cédric Paquette, who suffers from a minor injury, and Lukas Vejdemo have been replaced by Jake Evans and Rem Pitlick – whose first game with the Canadiens after he was claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Wild .

On the other hand, the Canadian announced before the game that forward Nick Suzuki has been chosen to represent the Habs in the NHL All-Star Game, which will take place in Las Vegas on February 5.

The Canadiens will continue their seven-game road trip by visiting the Arizona Coyotes next Monday at 4 p.m. Prior to Thursday night’s game, Ducharme said Paul Byron, who is recovering from hip surgery, will join his teammates in Arizona.

Locker Room Echoes

Alexander Romanov said he was ready to face the music, because of his rugged playing style.

“That’s hockey. Nobody likes to take a hit. That’s why he (Ryan Carpenter) reacted like that. If you want to drop the gloves…I’ll always be ready. »

Jeff Petry was relieved to have scored his first goal of the season for the Canadiens.

“It’s quite a relief to finally find the back of the net after about 30 games this season. I hope things will unblock for me. I still have a lot of things to work on, but I hope it will give me confidence in my abilities and that I can have a good second half of the season. »

Nick Suzuki said he was very happy to have been selected to represent the Canadian at the NHL All-Star Game.

“It’s an honor to represent the Canadiens. Several guys could have represented him as well. I’m just lucky to have been chosen. It’s always been a dream, ever since I was a little boy. I can’t wait to go there and savor the experience. »