(Montreal) The Canadiens’ offense finally came to life in the third period, but two unlucky plays by Evgenii Dadonov sank the Montreal team.
Posted at 9:51 p.m.
Nate Schmidt scored the game-winning goal with 17.5 seconds left in the final period as the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Habs 4-3 Thursday at the Bell Centre.
The Canadian had some good moments on the power play throughout the night, pulling off some great puck moves.
Caufield was robbed of a certain goal by Arvid Holm on a massive attack early in the third period, but it was only a postponement for the Habs.
Gallagher tied it 2-2 midway through the third period when the teams were going four-for-three. He hit a bouncing puck on the fly. Caufield then put the Canadiens ahead five to four moments later, on a pass from Gallagher.
Brad Lambert brought everyone back to square one, taking advantage of a blunder from Dadonov to tie the game 3-3 with 3:29 to go. The goal was scored four against four.
Schmidt then sliced when his long shot deflected off Dadonov’s stick before moving the ropes.
The veteran trio of Dadonov, Christian Dvorak and Gallagher were the most threatening at even strength. They notably generated three chances to score during the same sequence in the second period.
Emil Heineman once again showed some attacking flair, while Kirby Dach had his best preseason game.
Dach, acquired this summer from the Chicago Blackhawks, went there with great thrusts on offense thanks to his skating. He almost scored in the third period after a fine individual effort.
In a supporting role, Xavier Simoneau continued to show great energy during each of his appearances.
Defensively, Kaiden Guhle continued to earn points. He also scored the first goal for the Canadian, taking advantage of the largesse of goalkeeper David Rittich. Arber Xhekaj also disturbed the opponent with good checks.
William Trudeau also looked good in his first preseason game. His playing partner Mattias Norlinder is possibly the Canadiens defender who had the worst night, especially in his territory.
In goal, Jake Allen was solid, stopping 10 of 11 shots he faced in 30:24 of play. Cayden Primeau took over and made 11 saves.
On the side of the Jets, Evan Polei and Cole Maier also hit the target. Rittich stopped nine of 10 shots he faced in the first two periods of play. Holm made 13 saves in the third period.
The Canadiens will play their next preseason game on Saturday, when they visit the Ottawa Senators.