The Canadian’s bad habits undermined his chances of winning and chance finally decided the winner, Wednesday evening at the Bell Centre, according to the Montreal head coach.
Jansen Harkins decided in 12e shootout round and the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Habs 4-3.
The Canadian scored three goals in the first period for the first time this season and he led after 20 minutes of play for only the seventh time since the start of the campaign.
However, he squandered leads of 2-0 and 3-1. Harkins then made the difference after Josh Anderson missed his attempt for the Canadian, ending an entertaining shootout – the longest in the history of both teams.
“Overall, we played well enough to win the game, but when you shoot yourself in the foot like that, you leave things a little bit to luck,” said Martin St-Louis, referring to turnovers in the second period and punishments that he described as “not good”.
Sidney Crosby was imperial for the Penguins with two goals and an assist. He took advantage of his visit to Montreal to climb to 13e ranks among the top scorers in NHL history with 1,533 points.
“He remains an excellent player, even at his age,” said goaltender Samuel Montembeault of the 36-year-old Nova Scotian. He is the most complete player in the NHL and a good leader for their team. »
David Savard, Jayden Struble and Sean Monahan scored for the Canadian (12-13-4). Montembeault stopped 27 shots.
Jake Guentzel also hit the target for the Penguins (13-12-3). Erik Karlsson had two assists and Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 39 shots.
The Canadian will play one last home game in 2023 on Saturday, when the New York Islanders are the visitors at the Bell Centre.
The emperor’s walk
Savard kicked off the hostilities by scoring on the third shot on goal of the game, the Canadian’s second, after 6:24 of play. He intercepted a long errant pass from Karlsson, then advanced into the slot before surprise Nedeljkovic on the glove side.
Struble doubled the Canadian’s lead at 12:21. He did it twice to push a throw from Jesse Ylönen towards the crease behind the goalkeeper.
The Penguins responded 1:27 later. Crosby threaded the needle on a return after a Drew O’Connor throw.
This goal allowed him to join Paul Coffey at 14e rank of scorers in NHL history.
The Canadian restored his two-goal cushion with 4:40 left in the first period. Monahan scored on the power play. Pushing behind the goal line a long shot from Mike Matheson which had escaped Nedeljkovic.
The Habs received three minor penalties in the second period and the Penguins took advantage of the opportunity to level the odds by scoring twice.
Guentzel scored at 5:36 with a good one-timer following a pass from Crosby.
The famous 87 then tied the game at 11:02, when his shot deflected against Matheson before beating Montembeault.
This time, Crosby joined Mark Recchi at 13e rank of scorers in NHL history.
The Canadian played with fire even if he was able to retreat to the locker room still in a 3-3 deadlock. Guentzel hit the post to Montembeault’s left, then another goal scored by Crosby was disallowed as the clock had just reached zero.
“These are a bit of youthful mistakes, but sometimes we have to simplify things when exiting the zone,” St-Louis said. In general, our game was good, but in those moments, we didn’t force them to cross the ice and tear down our structure. It’s like we’re giving it to them on a silver platter. »
The Habs threatened early in the third period, during a power play. Nedeljkovic, however, made some great saves at the expense of Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky and Christian Dvorak.
Nick Suzuki, for his part, saw his shot skim the crossbar a little later in the engagement.
The Canadian was also unable to take advantage of a numerical advantage in overtime. A shootout session was therefore necessary to decide between the two teams.
In details
The five-man attack is getting out of hand (for the Penguins)
PHOTO CHRISTINNE MUSCHI, THE CANADIAN PRESS
The Penguins scored two power play goals Wednesday night against the Canadiens.
As unlikely as it may seem for a team that has, on its first wave of power play, three future Hall of Famers, the Penguins were, until the beginning of the week, one of the worst teams in the NHL with an extra man. The portrait changed suddenly, with four goals in two matches, including two scored against CH. After the meeting, Kristopher Letang was careful not to speak of a “click”. “The problem is that we judge the numerical advantage by the goal that is scored, and not by the play for two minutes,” analyzed the Quebec defender. You can have a lot of chances, but hit the post or be the victim of a good save. Then the confidence goes down, it plays in your head; you don’t play well, you force plays, you freeze. We went back to basics and simplified things. » Head coach Mike Sullivan, for his part, felt that the work had only just begun. “These guys have the ability to reach another level, and we’re going to help them get there.” »
It was Anderson or Stephens
PHOTO ERIC BOLTE, USA TODAY SPORTS VIA REUTERS CON
Alex Nedeljkovic (39) and Josh Anderson (17)
A grand total of 24 shooters were needed in the shootout to find a winner in this match. As expected, it was Jansen Harkins who closed the debate on 12e round. If this darling of poolers was able to score the winning goal, it was because Josh Anderson was unable to beat Alex Nedeljkovic a few seconds earlier. In reality, Martin St-Louis had designated 10 other attackers as well as defender Mike Matheson before choosing Anderson. In other words, unless you went with a defender, there was only Mitchell Stephens left available. Poor Josh… Nedeljkovic, moreover, seemed shaken following contact with Christian Dvorak a few laps earlier. He spent a long time with sports therapists, and he finally continued the session. He was foiled by the next shooter (Sean Monahan) and looked uncomfortable. He was quite angry at having given in, he explained afterwards. “It was just a scratch,” he said, smiling. It’s easier to take it lightly when you win, you might say…
Still the defenders on the scoreboard
The Canadian forwards once again concluded their evening with no goals at five against five on Wednesday. Sean Monahan scored on the power play; otherwise, at even strength, David Savard and Jayden Struble had given their club a 2-0 lead, each time while the CH fourth trio was on the ice. “In our philosophy, and especially with the way the game evolves, we attack a lot with four, sometimes with five players,” noted Martin St-Louis. We ask our defenders to support the attack, they are part of our concepts in the offensive zone. I think it’s positive. » It certainly is. On the other hand, when we know that the Habs are one of the least productive teams in the NHL at five on five, and that their defenders are among the best in terms of goals scored, that says a lot about the strike force among the attacking group.
Simon-Olivier Lorange, The Press