On a night when the Montreal Canadiens honored Hall of Famer Shea Weber, three third-period goals powered the home team to a significant 5-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Luckily for the Canadiens, they drew a road-weary Blue Jackets team, who had played in Pittsburgh just 24 hours earlier.
Despite hanging with Montreal for two periods, the visitors ran out of gas in the final period, and the Canadiens gave their home crowd plenty to cheer for their sixth win of the season.
Let’s discuss some takeaways.
The Game Plan Worked
Montreal had one thing to accomplish on Saturday night: wear down the Blue Jackets, who had just defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night, waiting for the opportune time to strike in the game’s late stages.
Despite losing a 1-0 lead, captain Nick Suzuki lit the lamp in the final four minutes of the middle period to swing momentum into the Canadiens favor heading into the final period.
Although the goal wasn’t that consequential then, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back, as the home team would score three more in the third to hand Columbus their seventh loss in eight games.
Ultimately, Martin St-Louis’ message had to be short and straightforward: keep the Blue Jackets at bay until their legs slow down in the third period and pounce on a tired team to get a much-needed blowout victory.
Canadiens Didn’t Back Down
Whether Arber Xhehaj was throwing down with Mathieu Olivier or the Canadiens outhitting the Blue Jackets 21-18, Montreal didn’t appear outmatched at any point in Saturday night’s contest.
Montreal maintained consistent pressure in the Blue Jackets zone, allowing them to record 30 shots on goal, tying a season-high previously set against the Seattle Kraken on Oct. 29.
Even though each team gave the other four power play opportunities, it was a spirited affair with good hits, good saves, and solid play from the Canadiens’ offense and defense, which doesn’t happen regularly.
Almost Out of the Basement
For the first time in what seems to be weeks, the Canadiens no longer lead the NHL in goal differential, watching the Penguins and San Jose Sharks overtake them.
Related: Save Percentages Are Down Across The NHL, Historically Low In Montreal
Despite seeing that number improve to minus-20, Montreal is still in the basement of the Atlantic Division. However, not all is lost; they are only one point behind the Detroit Red Wings.
Even though the Canadiens remain the conference’s lowest-seeded team based on percentage points, the win over Columbus was critical.
It showed the guys in the room that they could score five goals in a game, play a solid 60 minutes, protect their goalie, and secure two points—all the things the fans have yet to see this season.
The Canadiens have been a staple of Hockey Night in Canada since its inception, but lately, they haven’t found the successes of previous generations.
Getting only their third win on Saturday in the calendar year could be a huge momentum builder and, hopefully, another step closer to escaping the basement.
Canadiens & Wild Trivia Answers
How did you score in our Game Day Trivia quiz? Here are the answers.
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Carey Price, Cayden Primeau
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Brendan Gallagher
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Max Pacioretty
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Rafael Harvey-Pinard
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Jaroslav Halak
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David Savard
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Lars Eller
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Derick Brassard
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Frederic Chabot
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Josh Anderson
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