Despite nearly coughing up a three-goal lead in the final minutes of the third period, the Montreal Canadiens skated away with a 4-3 victory on the road against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday.
Goaltender Cayden Primeau made 23 saves against his hometown club.
Cole Caufield continued his hot streak with his eighth goal in October. The goal tied him for the league lead.
It was Montreal’s first taste of Flyer prospect Matvei Michkov. The Russian forward many Habs fans wanted to see selected in the 2023 NHL draft had zero points in 21:33. He also attempted a Michigan-style goal that was thwarted by Lane Hutson.
The Liveblog commenters were perplexed by the officiating early when Arber Xhekaj and Sean Couturier dropped the gloves before Nick Seeler jumped in as the third man in, yet only Xhekaj was sent to the box for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Caufield’s linemate Nick Suzuki opened scoring at 10:42. Kirby Dach registered his third point of the weekend.
Before the end of the first period, defenceman Travis Sanheim scored his first of two on the night.
The Habs took a commanding lead with a three-goal second period. At 4:48 into the middle frame, Brendan Gallagher’s leg was in the right place at the right time to deflect Logan Mailloux’s point shot to give the Habs a 2-1 lead.
Then Caufield scored his third power play goal of the campaign with a shot that snuck by Aleksei Kolosov. Suzuki and Mike Matheson assisted on the goal.
Jake Evans, from a Caufieldian angle, scored his second goal in as many games to give Montreal a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes.
Before the end of the second, Michkov received a warm welcome to the NHL from wily vet Gallagher. Gallagher got under the rookie’s skin, and once the dust settled from the scuffle, it was Michkov who got sent to the box for a slashing penalty.
The Canadiens nearly lulled the Flyers to sleep with dull third period, only in the end, it was the Habs who nearly got caught asleep at the switch. Sanheim potted his second with 2:12 left to play to keep impatient Philly fans from hitting the exits early.
Less than a minute later, Travis Konecny pulled Philly to within one goal.
But that’s how it ended. The Flyers couldn’t score an equalizer and the Habs shook off a rough landing to leave Philadelphia with a 4-3 win. Montreal completed the weekend sweep with two victories.
The win also put the Habs back into a crowded situation in the Atlantic Division. They, along with four other teams, are tied for third in the division with nine points.
Against the Broad Street Rebuilding Bullies, rugged rearguard David Savard was in his element. He played a season-high 22:15.
The two-win weekend alleviated some of the pressure the Habs were facing following their four-game losing streak. The Liveblog commenters were sitting pretty after two periods before sweating a little in the final moments, but the mood was more positive exiting the weekend compared to how they entered it. And that’s without Juraj Slafkovsky and Kaiden Guhle in the lineup.
Montreal nearly played a textbook road game, if you omit the final 2:12.
3. “I leave the game with less than 10 minutes to go to take my dog for dinner walk and game is well in hand (4-1). And come back and it’s a one goal win. I’ll take it. First back to back double win. Good road win even if it’s against a bottom feeding team. Good way to end the weekend. Go Habs Go.” -Habs SkiFan
2. “Bent but didn’t break. Made it hard for themselves. Gally was full of piss and vinegar tonight. If Dach starts connecting on those hail mary passes to Caulfield it should be a lot of fun. You could tell it was a back to back for both teams. We won the goaltending battle tonight. Probably the only difference in the game.” -Doug Kirkby
- “Phewww! Well, at least they played well for 57 minutes. A win is a win and an important two points. Both teams playing B2B, it sure felt and looked like it. Michkov, trying 2 “Michigans”? Really … last one when PHI was down 4-1 late in 3rd. IMO, that’s a selfish play. All about him. Wouldn’t want him on my team. SEA, WSH and PITT next week. Hope they continue playing with effort and defending well, and somehow go 2-1. BTW – They are actually IN THE MIX! lol.” -Edward Mahilum