(Montreal) The Seattle Kraken quickly scored three goals in the first period and the Montreal Canadiens couldn’t shake their grip on Monday night, eventually losing 4-0 on the Bell Center rink.
“The second and third periods really don’t mean anything when you know a first (period) of the same. It sucks,” said head coach Martin St-Louis.
The Canadian (16-22-3) thus conceded a third shutout this season, and a first since that of 4-0 against the San Jose Sharks on November 29. He was therefore unable to line up a second victory in a row – a feat he was trying to accomplish for the first time since his successes on November 23 and 25.
Eoli Tolvanen, Daniel Sprong, Vince Dunn and Matty Beniers hit the target for the Kraken (23-12-4), which recorded a fifth win in a row. It must be admitted that the training of head coach Dave Hakstol was not easy prey for the CH, since it now has a record of 13-4-2 on opposing rinks this season.
Goalkeeper Samuel Montembeault obtained, against all odds, the departure after the Canadian had urgently recalled Cayden Primeau from the Laval Rocket to replace Jake Allen, injured. Montembeault was riddled with an impressive total of 40 shots in front of the Habs net.
His vis-à-vis, Martin Jones, was not particularly in demand, en route to a fifth consecutive victory on his record. He made just 21 saves in front of the Kraken net, and earned his second shutout this season.
St-Louis spoke last weekend about the importance of playing well in its territory. A message that does not seem to have been assimilated by his flock.
” I don’t understand. We weren’t ready. The guys didn’t start the match at the right time. It’s disappointing. I’m disappointed with the defensive commitment of the group in the first period, and it cost us the game,” said St-Louis, his face dark.
For the 26e time this season – and the seventh time in a row – the Canadiens have conceded the first goal of the game.
Tolvanen, forgotten at the end alone in the enclave, accepted Yanni Gourde’s precise pass and beat Montembeault with a shot on reception, after 6: 54 of play in the first period. It was then 10-1 on penalties in favor of the Kraken. And it hasn’t improved.
While Chris Wideman was in jail for hooking, Sprong fired a one-timer from the left face-off circle that hit the rod to Montembeault’s right before narrowly crossing the goal line. It was 2-0, after 10:01 of play in the game. The CH was then dominated 15-1 in terms of shots on goal.
The CH was not at the end of its troubles. Dunn made it 3-0 a little less than five minutes later, after firing a shot that weaved its way through heavy traffic and ended up at the back of the Quebec goaltender’s goal. The crowd present at the Bell Center did not hesitate to boo its favorites after the siren signaling the first intermission.
The second period was a little more hotly contested, but the gap remained the same. Captain Nick Suzuki came knocking on the goal gate on a 3-on-1 run midway through the period, but Jones didn’t flinch and pulled out the pad to fend off the shot .
Tempers flared in the third period between the two teams, who exchanged a few good shoulders. But once again, the Canadian showed indiscipline.
Forward Joel Armia may have to explain himself to the NHL’s Department of Player Safety after hitting hard on Dunn, who had his back to play near the ramp, with less than 10 minutes left in the game. match. He received a minor penalty on the streak.
Wideman was not so lucky and he was sent off for making derogatory comments to a referee.
Beniers then completed in an empty net, with 1:03 to go.
It was the second game between the two teams this season, after the Canadiens’ 4-2 victory in Seattle on December 22. Rookie Shane Wright, whom many considered the Canadiens’ first choice in the last draft, took the opportunity to score his first career goal in the NHL.
On the Canadian side, forward Mike Hoffman returned to the game after being sidelined in the previous two games. He replaced Anthony Richard in the starting lineup.
The Canadiens will host the Nashville Predators on Thursday at the Bell Centre. The Tennessee formation had signed a 6-3 victory against CH on its ice rink on January 3.
Locker Room Echoes
Samuel Montembeault has admitted that his team still haven’t learned from their past mistakes.
“Of course it’s frustrating to leave with a deficit like that, and to have to play catch-up hockey all the time. […] Despite the goals, I think I was moving well, and the important thing was to keep my focus and not worry about the ‘score’ and it was fine afterwards. »
Captain Nick Suzuki was unhappy with the effort he and his teammates put in.
“Our group offered an unacceptable effort. It started with my trio’s first appearance on the ice; we were stuck on the rink for almost two minutes. We need to have a better start to the game. »
Juraj Slafkovsky preferred to see the glass half full, rather than half empty.
“We played well on Saturday (against the St. Louis Blues), and we wanted to build on that, but it didn’t work out. That doesn’t mean we can’t recover in the next game. The first period was difficult, and it hurt us, but I thought we played better in the second and third periods. »