(Denver) The Canadiens players highlighted the return of head coach Martin St-Louis by possibly obtaining their biggest victory of the season.
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Joel Armia broke the tie late in the first period, Samuel Montembeault made 27 saves and the Montreal club defeated the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 on Tuesday night at Ball Arena.
St-Louis was back behind the Canadiens bench after a four-game absence. He went to the bedside of his youngest son Mason, who was injured during a hockey game. St-Louis said early Tuesday that his son’s condition was now stable.
His players celebrated his return by stopping the Avalanche’s winning streak at nine.
“From afar, I was very proud of my team when I followed them from home,” said St-Louis. Tonight, behind the bench, I was even more proud. »
“I think so, under the circumstances,” he added when asked if it was the team’s biggest victory this season.
The Canadian thus concluded his five-game trip with a 2-2-1 record.
Nick Suzuki also scored for the Canadian (27-32-12).
Montembeault ended a personal series of six defeats (0-3-3). His last victory dates back to February 27 against the Arizona Coyotes.
The Habs also ended a six-game losing streak in Denver. He hadn’t won in Colorado since the 1er December 2014.
Nathan MacKinnon scored the only goal for the Avalanche (46-21-5). Justus Annunen made 25 saves.
The Canadian will return to the Bell Center on Thursday, when the Philadelphia Flyers are the visitors.
A brilliant performance
The Avalanche opened the scoring after just 43 seconds of play. MacKinnon completed a nice passing play started by Devon Toews and Mikko Rantanen. Jonathan Drouin started the sequence by causing a turnover at the Habs blue line.
Suzuki responded just nine seconds later. He made fun of Casey Mittelstadt’s coverage and surprised Annunen with a low shot.
PHOTO DAVID ZALUBOWSKI, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cale Makar and Nick Suzuki
On the sequence Juraj Slafkovsky was credited with an assist. It was his 40e point of the season and thus beat Mario Tremblay’s mark established in 1974-75 for the best season in the history of the Habs by a player aged 19 or younger.
For its part, Suzuki smashed its personal mark with a 67e not this season.
The Avalanche missed several chances to regain the lead in the first period. MacKinnon hit the post on the power play, then Montembeault frustrated Miles Wood with his right pad a little later.
The Canadian took advantage of Annunen’s generosity to take the lead with 5:07 remaining in the first period. The Finnish goalkeeper, who signed a two-year contract extension earlier in the day, escaped a long shot from Alex Newhook. Armia grabbed the puck behind him and came around the net to slide it into the opening.
PHOTO DAVID ZALUBOWSKI, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Joel Armia
The Avalanche was unlucky again before the end of the first period. This time, it was Rantanen who saw his throw hit the crossbar.
” The answer [de Suzuki au premier but de l’Avalanche] was incredible and it helped us control the game,” said St-Louis. In the first half, things were going in all directions. We could have led 4-0. They could have led 4-0. It could have been 4-3, but it was 2-1. »
“The game in the last two periods was tighter. I liked our maturity, our attitude,” he added.
The Canadian was bottled up in his territory early in the second period, but the Avalanche was unable to take advantage.
MacKinnon had the best chance, but it hit the outside of the net when he appeared to have a gaping cage in front of him after a favorable jump from the boards.
The Avalanche increased the pressure in the third period. Drouin missed the target from the slot early in the period, then MacKinnon was also inaccurate around mid-period, after breaking through the Canadian’s defense.
The Avalanche’s indiscipline at the end of the game helped the Habs wind down the final minutes. Sean Walker was punished for hooking and then received a double minor for high sticking shortly after returning with 5:03 left in the final period.
In details
MacKinnon chasing Stastny
Records from the 80s are hard to break in the NHL. So it’s no surprise that there’s so much excitement when a current player approaches a record set in an era when praising Michael Jackson was uncontroversial. It’s a hot topic in Colorado these days, as Nathan MacKinnon has two records in his sights. Against the Canadian on Tuesday, he obtained a point in a 35e back-to-back home game, and he could still beat Wayne Gretzky’s 40 in 1988-89. Without taking anything away from this prospect, however, it is the threat of a franchise record that strikes a chord among fans here: Peter Stastny’s 139 points in a season in 1981-1982. MacKinnon still has 10 games to reach the top of the list and, if he maintains the pace of his first 72 games, he could get there.
Beautiful tribute to Newhook
PHOTO RON CHENOY, USA TODAY SPORTS VIA REUTERS CON
Alex Newhook (15)
The Avalanche paid tribute to Alex Newhook in the first period. During a commercial break, a video was shown recounting his good times during the nearly three seasons he played in Denver, including highlights on the ice, discussions with fans and his day with the Stanley Cup on Earth -Neuve, his native province. Newhook played 159 season games, and 27 more in the playoffs, in an Avalanche uniform before being traded to the Canadiens last summer. In the morning, head coach Jared Bednar was complimentary of him, admitting to having always had a “weakness” [soft spot] for the attacker. “I will always respect the players who have already helped us win, even if they play elsewhere,” he added.
Fourth line in neutral
It’s a bit anecdotal at the end of the season, but the trend is still clear: the Canadian’s fourth trio frankly doesn’t offer anything transcendent. Indeed, Michael Pezzetta, Colin White and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, during the last four matches, have not built any complicity whatsoever. In 5:25 minutes spent on the ice at five-on-five on Tuesday, their combination didn’t even get a shot attempt. There are obviously mitigating circumstances – for example the fact that White is the only center available, or that the Avalanche sent their first line in their path as soon as they could. However, we hope these support employees find a spark by the end of the campaign.
With Simon-Olivier Lorange, The Press