Canadian 2 — Flames 1 | A victory signed Jake Allen

(Calgary) Martin St-Louis had repeated over the past few days that Jake Allen was the Canadiens’ number one goaltender. The New Brunswicker honored his coach’s confidence Thursday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Allen made 45 saves, Cole Caufield broke the tie by scoring on the power play in the third period and the Montreal squad defeated the Calgary Flames 2-1.

After allowing at least three goals in each of his previous five starts, Allen had several smash hits to help the Canadiens hold on to their lead.

The Habs’ shorthanded unit also limited the damage against the Flames, who went 0-for-4 with 12 shots. The Canadiens players blocked 23 shots.

“It inspires the guys when Jake makes big saves and vice versa, when Jake sees the guys fighting in a tough environment, against a tough team to play against,” St-Louis said. He made some big saves and made the difference in the game.

“That’s what a number one goalie does. »

The Canadian’s power play also rebounded after a 0-for-6 underperformance in a 4-0 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.

Caufield scored the key power-play goal. The 21-year-old American was competing in a 100^e NHL game. He has scored 40 goals and 70 points so far in his young career.

Juraj Slafkovsky also scored for the Canadian (12-10-1). Sean Monahan had two assists.

Monahan was back in Calgary for the first time since being traded to the Canadiens this summer. He played his first nine NHL campaigns with the Flames and received a hearty ovation after a brief tribute during the first commercial break.

“It’s not like he’s only been here for two or three seasons. He practically grew up here and the guys understand that, pointed out St-Louis. It showed in their energy, their level of urgency. »

Elias Lindholm scored the only goal for the Flames (10-10-3). Jacob Markstrom stopped 17 shots.

Canadian forward Brendan Gallagher did not play the match due to a lower body injury. Rem Pitlick was recalled from the Laval Rocket during the day, but did not arrive early enough in Calgary to participate in the game.

The Canadian therefore played with 11 attackers and seven defenders against the Flames. Defenders Arber Xhekaj and Chris Wideman have been added to the lineup. Johnathan Kovacevic was left out.

Defender Kaiden Guhle limped back to the locker room with about 20 seconds left. He was hit in the leg by a powerful throw from Michael Stone.

The Habs play their next game on Saturday, when they visit the Edmonton Oilers.

Allen key

Slafkovsky quickly gave the Canadian the lead, taking advantage of a hazardous exit from Markstrom to shoot into an abandoned cage after 13 seconds of play.

Allen wrote the history of the rest of the first period. He multiplied the difficult saves, frustrating in particular Nazem Kadri and Lindholm on shots at close range. He also closed the door on Blake Coleman, who had escaped.

The Flames continued to increase the assaults in the second period. Adam Ruzicka hit the post on a power play.

Slafkovsky got the best opportunity on the Canadian side. The 18-year-old Slovak escaped but his shot also hit the post.

The Flames eventually tied the game with 29 seconds left in the second period. Lindholm took advantage of a nice delivery from Jonathan Huberdeau to hit the target shortly after a turnover from the Canadian at the Flames’ blue line.

The home team then fired the first nine shots on goal in the third period, but it was the Canadian who finally broke the tie at 6:29. Andrew Mangiapane was penalized for attacking Josh Anderson after a whistle, then Caufield scored on a one-timer on the subsequent power play.

Allen continued to shine thereafter, racking up spectacular saves. He raised his left pad to stop a Lindholm shot with 11 minutes to play and frustrated Mikael Backlund later on in a three-on-one attack for the Flames.

Locker Room Echoes

Jake Allen was happy to give Sean Monahan a win when he returned to Calgary.

“He was an important part of this organization for a long time. He is an excellent player and we are lucky to be able to count on him. We’re glad we put a smile on his face. »

Sean Monahan declined to say he could now close the chapter on his time with the Flames.

“It will always be a special place for me and my emotions will be the same every time I come back here. I developed a lot of relationships outside of hockey in the region. I will always enjoy coming here. »

Juraj Slafkovsky enjoyed his experience on the left of Sean Monahan and Josh Anderson.

“I knew I would get a bit more playing time playing in the top-6. I was ready for this game and it went pretty well. I like to play with Monahan. He makes his linemates better with his intelligence. And Josh plays a style similar to mine. »