About Last Night: Habs do spectacularly against Nucks

aji1

NHL Montreal Canadiens Hockey Inside Out

The Canadiens gave up a four-goal lead before losing 7-6 in overtime to the Canucks on Monday in Vancouver.

Author of the article:

erik leijon • Special for the Montreal Gazette

Posted on December 06, 2022 • Last update December 06, 2022 • 3 minute read

14 comments December 5, 2022; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jordan Harris (54) skates after Vancouver Canucks forward Jack Studnicka (18) in the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports December 5, 2022; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jordan Harris (54) skates after Vancouver Canucks forward Jack Studnicka (18) in the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports Photo by Bob Frid /USA TODAY Sports

Monday’s Pacific time zone tilt was a treat for West Coasters and night owls looking for drama. The Montreal Canadiens blew a four-goal lead in a spectacular 7-6 overtime loss against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena.

This ad has not loaded yet, but its article continues below.

If you were an East Coast member who stayed up past 1 a.m., you were treated (if that’s the word) to an entertaining game that Coach Martin St. Louis would probably like to forget. Nick Suzuki and Jordan Harris were the only Habs with more than one point. They had two each.

By clicking the sign up button, you agree to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails or any newsletter. informative. Red Postmedia Inc. | 365 East Bloor Street, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300

Prior to the puck drop, it was announced that David Savard was injured on a day-to-day basis and would miss the contest.

The Canucks had all the momentum in the opening minutes, but the Habs came out of the first with a 4-0 lead. It started with goalie Sam Montembeault stopping six shots early.

Harris set up Cole Caufield for the first goal of the game.

This ad has not loaded yet, but its article continues below.

After that, Juraj Slafkovsky was drilled by all-time defensive hit leader Luke Schenn. It’s not the first big hit the rookie has taken in his young career.

This ad has not loaded yet, but its article continues below.

Then Suzuki made it 2-0 after a strong starting pass from Kaiden Guhle. The goal was the first of three in less than four minutes for the Habs.

This ad has not loaded yet, but its article continues below.

With Brock Boeser coming out of the box, Sean Monahan’s tip made it 3-0.

This ad has not loaded yet, but its article continues below.

Then Michael Pezzetta sprang into action with his first of the season for a 4-0 lead. Spencer Martin’s night was over, Collin Delia walked in.

This ad has not loaded yet, but its article continues below.

Coincidence or not, in the second half Monahan left the game injured and the Habs fell apart soon after. Conor Garland waited for Montembeault before firing on him to put Vancouver on the board.

This ad has not loaded yet, but its article continues below.

Elias Pettersson then mesmerized everyone behind the net before finding Ilya Mikheyev up front to bring the Canucks within two after 40 minutes of play.

This ad has not loaded yet, but its article continues below.

It would only take a little over nine minutes for Montreal’s 4-goal lead to evaporate. Bo Horvat kept up Vancouver’s momentum in the third to close Montreal’s lead to one.

This ad has not loaded yet, but its article continues below.

Then it was Mikheyev again with an equalizing goal. Pettersson once again drew the Habs defenders before finding his linemate with a deft pass.

This ad has not loaded yet, but its article continues below.

Thats not all. Montembeault then misplayed the puck behind the net to Jack Studnicka, who spun and beat the goalie on the return to give Vancouver its first lead of the night 5-4.

This ad has not loaded yet, but its article continues below.

Canadians were not kind to that good night. After journeyman Wes McCauley overruled his linesmen and placed the faceoff in the Vancouver zone, Christian Dvorak responded with a quick equalizing goal to tie things 5-5.

This ad has not loaded yet, but its article continues below.

Just 1:37 later, Josh Anderson got a lucky rebound as his shot hit Delia, rolled past Quinn Hughes, and found its way into the back of the net. The Habs once again took the lead with time running out on the clock.

As you may have guessed, this game was not over yet. With Johnathan Kovacevic in the box and the Canucks playing 6 against 4 with the goalie down, Andrei Kuzmenko sent the game into overtime with a shot ahead.

This ad has not loaded yet, but its article continues below.

There was even more drama in the shortened extra frame. Pettersson scored 13 seconds after Mike Matheson had a flat tire in his own zone. Or did Pettersson trip him up?

This ad has not loaded yet, but its article continues below.

Either way, the return was complete and Habs fans fell asleep wondering what they just saw. We’ll let the Liveblog commenters take the reins from here. Quite a few Western Habs fans who probably appreciated not having to rush home from work to watch the game, and a few others burning the midnight oil, damn Tuesday morning alarm. It was a silly game and Montreal got a point in the standings for its troubles. If Monahan is out for some time, St. Louis will have some line juggling to do.

3. “Can Montreal get Petry back? How many unforced draws can Matheson do? Absolutely pathetic. -Philip Marlowe 2. “Well, that’s a kick in the pants. It goes up 4-0 and loses giving up 7 goals. I didn’t think it was possible.” -Kelly Morgan 1. “So we win the tie against Horvat… only to have one of the best skaters in the league fall over and take out the puck?!” -Michael Camino

This ad has not loaded yet, but its article continues below.

Comments

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil discussion forum and encourages all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour to moderate before appearing on the site. We ask that you keep your comments relevant and respectful. We’ve enabled email notifications: You’ll now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there’s an update in a comment thread you follow, or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.

Source: news.google.com