(Raleigh) After three straight wins, the Canadiens were stunned by the storm as they got a taste of the NHL’s elite abilities.
Sebastian Aho broke the tie early in the third period, then Seth Jarvis, with his second of three goals, and Jordan Staal quickly widened the gap and the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Montreal club 6-2, at the PNC Arena .
The Hurricanes, who rank second overall in the NHL, have often bottled the Canadian in his territory thanks to a good forecheck. Although it took until early in the third period to see the Hurricanes take control in scoring, this moment seemed inevitable.
“The third period was tough. Three minutes, three goals. It was the match, ”acknowledged the head coach of the Canadian, Martin St-Louis.
“This is a team that will take advantage of your mistakes,” he added, praising the brilliance of the Hurricanes.
Aho had a goal and an assist, while Jesperi Kotkaniemi also scored for the Hurricanes (36-10-8), who have lost just one regulation time loss in their last 13 games (11-1-1 ).
Andrei Svechnikov had three assists and Brent Burns had two. Antti Raanta stopped 20 shots.
Michael Pezzetta and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard replied for the Canadian (23-28-4). Samuel Montembeault stopped 35 shots.
“We see that we still have a lot of steps to take,” said St-Louis. Teams like this make you see the level you need to reach.
“We will continue to work, watch video to find solutions and continue to progress. »
The Canadian was deprived of the Kirby Dach center, which is struggling with a virus unrelated to COVID-19. Rem Pitlick replaced him in the lineup.
For his part, defenseman Justin Barron took over the dressing room early in the third period and did not return to play afterwards. Barron appeared to injure his left shoulder after being pushed against the boards by Svechnikov in the second period.
The Canadiens will play their next game on Saturday, when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In a gust of wind
Prior to the game, former goaltender Cam Ward was inducted into the Hurricanes Hall of Fame.
Once the celebration was over, Pezzetta quickly offered the Habs the lead. He scored on his own return by hitting the puck on the fly after 3:24 of play.
The Hurricanes, however, quickly turned things around, putting a lot of pressure on the Canadian.
Kotkaniemi tied the game at 12:14, beating Montembeault with a nice feint in a two-on-one attack. Jarvis then completed a fine passing game started by Svechnikov and Aho at 14:47.
The game was more divided in the second period. Both teams squandered multiple chances early in the game.
The Canadian finally tied the game at 2-2 with 4:59 to go in the period, during a power play. Posted in the enclave, Harvey-Pinard moved the ropes after receiving a pass from Mike Hoffman from behind the net.
The Hurricanes, however, stunned the Canadiens with three goals in a 2:55 interval early in the third period.
Aho got the ball rolling at 2:05, after a long streak in visitors’ territory. Jarvis then scored at 3:53, scoring on a return after a series of spectacular fakes from Burns. Staal completed the sequence by hitting the target with a two-on-one attack at 5:00.
St-Louis called a time out to allow his players to come to their senses. However, the damage was done.
Raanta made his most spectacular save of the game with just over two minutes to go. He stretched his right arm to stop a Pezzetta shot with his shield following a nice back pass from Pitlick.
Jarvis completed his hat trick by scoring on a shorthanded breakaway with 19.8 seconds remaining.
Locker Room Echoes
Rem Pitlick was happy to have the opportunity to play, even though he was called up to Kirby Dach at the last minute.
“It was fun to have the opportunity to play in this atmosphere. Cam Ward was treated to a beautiful ceremony and then the match was entertaining. But I would have liked a different result. »
Michael Pezzetta said the Canadiens may have let their guard down early in the third period.
“We were a little complacent and they scored a goal. Then it’s like we took our foot off the gas and they made us pay the price. »
Pezzetta also recalled that the Hurricanes were one of the good teams in the NHL.
“They play hard and fast hockey. They took advantage of their opportunities. »