Who would have thought the gap between 28th and 31st overall in the NHL was so big!
Rafaël Harvey-Pinard scored three times in the second period and the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 8-2.
Harvey-Pinard became the first Canadiens rookie to score a hat trick in a single period since Dick Gamble on March 2, 1952 against the Chicago Blackhawks.
“I was told that the details in his game were on point. To really appreciate that, you needed a sample larger than just two, three or four games, coach Martin St-Louis said of Harvey-Pinard. With all the injuries this season, the sample has been bigger and I could really appreciate those details. And he was rewarded tonight. »
Harvey-Pinard first gave the Canadiens a 3-2 lead early in the second period. His third goal gave the Habs a 6-2 lead.
“He has a high level of competition and a good work ethic,” added St-Louis of the 24-year-old winger. He is very committed on both sides of the ice and it is rare that he does not do the job defensively or offensively. »
The Canadiens had spent the last few weeks rubbing shoulders with some of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. He appeared in a class of his own against the Blue Jackets, who are languishing in the bottom of the standings.
Fans enjoyed themselves throughout the final third, waving and chanting “Olé! Ole! Ole! “.
“We put on a good show,” admitted St-Louis. Fans deserve this. I’ve been here for a little over a year and I always felt they were behind us. »
Nick Suzuki had a goal and three assists, Mike Hoffman had a goal and two assists, while Brendan Gallagher and Jesse Ylönen each provided a goal and an assist for the Canadian (29-38-6).
Alex Belzile also hit the target, Mike Matheson had three assists and Samuel Montembeault made 21 saves.
Kirill Marchenko and Lane Pederson replied for the Blue Jackets (23-42-7), who had won their previous two games in overtime. Elvis Merzlikins allowed six goals on 24 shots before making way for Michael Hutchinson late in the second period. Hutchinson stopped six pitches.
Merzlikins appeared to injure his right groin on Harvey-Pinard’s third goal. He took over the direction of the locker room during the next stoppage of play.
Jordan Harris returned to action for the Canadiens after an eight-game absence with a lower-body injury. Chris Wideman gave him his place in the defensive brigade.
The Canadian will play Monday in Buffalo against the Sabers, then Tuesday in Philadelphia against the Flyers.
Harvey-Pinard has fun
The Blue Jackets were the first to score, 1:32 into the game, when Pederson scored moments after a turnover from Joel Edmundson.
The response from the Canadian was quick. Hoffman beat Merzlikins with an accurate shot at 3:39. Ylönen then gave the Habs the lead at 9:43, after a three-on-two attack.
Johnny Gaudreau reached the post during a Blue Jackets power play, but it was only a postponement for the visitors.
Marchenko tied the game 2-2 with 120 seconds left on the clock. He threaded the needle by shooting over Montembeault’s left shoulder despite a near impossible angle.
The goal was initially disallowed since the net had left its moorings. However, video managers determined that the disc would have gone into the goal even if Montembeault had not moved the net on the footage.
Harvey-Pinard gave the Habs the lead after 13 seconds in the second period. He shoved a free disc into the goal after a nice climb from Matheson.
The pride of Arvida, in Saguenay, then hit the mark at 7:13, completing a nice exchange started by Suzuki and Hoffman.
Jonathan Drouin and Matheson took turns hitting the post midway through the second period, but that didn’t come back to haunt the Canadiens.
Gallagher capped a long streak in Blue Jackets territory by scoring his first goal since Jan. 3 at 1:08 into the period.
Harvey-Pinard then completed his hat trick with 3:18 left in the second period. On a power play, he deflected a powerful one-timer pass from Hoffman in the opener.
The third period was just a formality.
Belzile joined the party with 8:12 left in the game, when his pass to Chris Tierney was deflected into his own net by Blue Jackets defenseman Andrew Peeke.
Suzuki then turned the iron in the wound 2:01 later.
Locker Room Echoes
Rafaël Harvey-Pinard admitted to having experienced great emotions after his third goal.
“It was so amazing. I was living the moment to the fullest. It’s heartwarming to have the support of fans like that. It was a beautiful moment. »
Harvey-Pinard has often been compared to Brendan Gallagher, but the latter doesn’t like to comment on comparisons.
“Rather, I want him to chart his own path. He has a lot of potential. He just has to keep doing what he’s doing now and he’s going to be happy with what happens to him. I will be happy to help him along the way. »
Mike Matheson was happy to see that the Canadian had delivered the same effort as in the last games, even if the opponent was less strong on paper.
“It would have been easy to think that the opponent was different from the others of the last few weeks. But we were ready. They had played yesterday and they had arrived late. It was important to start the game well and continue. We were really strong in the second half. »