It took until the 50th game of the season to see the Montreal Canadiens stick two wins in a row.
It wasn’t easy, but Cole Caufield and Rem Pitlick scored in the shootout and the Canadiens beat the New York Islanders 3-2 on Sunday afternoon to put them on a two-game streak. victories for the first time since May 1 and 3, 2021.
Smiles suddenly appeared on the players’ faces, along with some relief. Interim head coach Martin St-Louis has also noticed a change in attitude among his players since he took over, barely a week ago.
“Victory is the result of the process. It’s fun to be rewarded when you work hard, and their reward is winning. Me, so far, I find that we are improving every day. And it’s ‘fun’ that the guys are rewarded with wins,” St-Louis said in a postgame videoconference.
St. Louis also said he decided to send Pitlick to the shootout because he had a good game, and he has some offensive flair.
“Pitlick has had success in every league he has played in. He did well in the college ranks, in the USHL, etc. He’s a guy who has always collected points, who is very creative […] It’s the “fun” to see this guy play hockey,” explained the 46-year-old Quebecer.
Jeff Petry and Josh Anderson hit the target in regulation time for the Canadiens (10-33-7), who defeated the St. Louis Blues 3-2 in overtime on Thursday.
Kyle Palmieri and Brock Nelson ensured the response of the Islanders (18-20-7), who were also trying to sign a second victory in a row.
Andrew Hammond delivered a flawless performance in his first NHL start in nearly four years. The “Hamburglar” finished the game with 30 saves, in addition to having stopped two of the three Islanders shooters in the shootout.
” It is heartwarming. When you see a guy like him, who is still fighting for his career, getting an opportunity like that…Andrew played really well tonight and he gave us a chance to win. He deserves this,” summarized St-Louis about the 34-year-old veteran.
His vis-à-vis, Ilya Sorokin, stopped 25 of 27 shots aimed at the goal of the Islanders, before yielding to Caufield and Pitlick in a shootout. The New York team had won the first match between the two teams 6-2 on November 4.
The Canadiens returned to Montreal immediately after the game, ahead of their Monday night game at the Bell Center against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Michael Pezzetta, who has missed the Habs’ last five games, got his first chance to show off under new head coach Martin St-Louis. And he grabbed it quickly.
After dishing out a few good shoulder shots early in the game, including one that resulted in a visit from tough guy Matt Martin, Pezzetta obstructed Sorokin’s view and allowed Petry to beat the Islanders goaltender at 9:01. of the first third.
After the intermission, the two teams exchanged a goal each.
Palmieri got both teams back to square one early in the second period. The Islanders veteran jumped on a rebound allowed by Hammond and outshot him on the power play at 1:29. It was a third goal in as many games for Palmieri.
Anderson, however, ensured that the CH finished the second period with the lead, vibrating the ropes with 1:11 to go on the clock. The “workhorse” achieved this by threading the needle with a precise wrist shot from a tight angle, above Sorokin’s right shoulder.
Nelson, however, pushed the game into overtime by beating Hammond with an accurate shot with 2:57 remaining in the third period.
After Caufield and Pitlick netted in the first two rounds in the shootout, Hammond rose to Matthew Barzal and Nelson to seal the game. It was his first NHL win since winning in the playoffs on April 20, 2018.
It should be noted that defender Ben Chiarot was back in action after missing two games. Chiarot, whose name has been circulating in trade rumors for some time, replaced Corey Schueneman. The latter had his name put on the COVID-19 protocol list on Saturday, and as a result he did not accompany the team to New York.
Forwards Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia, who suffered a skate in the face in the last game against the St. Louis Blues, also remained in Montreal.
Islanders defenseman Zdeno Chara was playing his 1,650th career NHL game. He is just one game away from the record for a defender, which belongs to Chris Chelios.
Locker Room Echoes
Ben Chiarot praised goaltender Andrew Hammond for his performance against the Islanders.
“He made some big saves for us. It was fantastic. He also played the puck very well. Big saves, and big plays, so it was good to see him play like that. I’m happy for him. »
Andrew Hammond did not hide that he had felt a little excitement before the initial face-off, since it was his first start in almost four years.
“I would be lying to you if I said it was just another game. But it was quite similar. I was comfortable (in front of my net) from the start. I’ve been here for a week and had some good practices to build my confidence so I knew I just had to jump on the rink and play to my talent. »
Rem Pitlick admitted he felt some relief as he beat Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin in the shootout.
“I was nervous, because we wanted to chain the victories. It’s “cool” to have Marty (Martin St-Louis) here with us; we are having a lot of fun. It hasn’t been an easy season, I know that, even though I haven’t been here that long. But we want to win. So I was nervous, and it was “cool” to see the puck go (into the net). »