7th Loss in a Row | RECAP: MTL @ PIT

By
Rick Stephens
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2
45
Laurent Dauphin (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)

Montreal Canadiens vs Pittsburgh Penguins, Game Recap: Habs, Line-up, Score, Statistics, Highlights, Post-game, Interviews, NHL, Three-Stars

FINAL | Game 30, Away Game 15 | Tuesday December 14, 2021
PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA

CANADIENS

Montreal

2-5

 Pittsburgh Penguins logo

PENGUINS

Pittsburgh
Laurent Dauphin (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)

Canadiens Lineup

Forward lines

Mike Hoffman – Nick Suzuki – Mathieu Perreault

Artturi Lehkonen – Ryan Poehling – Cole Caufield

Jonathan Drouin – Laurent Dauphin – Jesse Ylonen

Michael Pezzetta – Cedric Paquette – Joel Armia

Defence pairings

Ben Chiarot – David Savard

Alexander Romanov – Jeff Petry

Brett Kulak – Kale Clague

Goaltenders

Jake Allen – Sam Montembeault

Scratches

Corey Schueneman

Injuries

Chris Wideman (personal), Christian Dvorak (lower-body), Jake Evans (undisclosed), Tyler Toffoli (upper-body), Josh Anderson (upper-body), Joel Edmundson (back), Carey Price (knee), Paul Byron (hip), Shea Weber (multiple injuries)

COVID-19 protocol

Brendan Gallagher, Sami Niku

Game Report

In many respects this is the worst season of the Montreal Canadiens proud 112 year history. With just six wins in their first 30 games, the Habs are on track for a 41-point season.

How bad is that? In 2020-21, a season reduced by 26 games, only one team in the NHL recorded fewer than 41-points, the Buffalo Sabres. So perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise now that more than one-third of the season has been played, that patience is wearing thin.

The team that is the 2021-22 Canadiens is starting to come apart. On Saturday, Jake Allen sat before the microphones and issued a cry for help. Allen talked about a right and wrong way to lose coming together with a purpose while going down swinging.

Allen made his eighth consecutive start in Pittsburgh tonight. Post-game Dominique Ducharme admitted that Allen was starting too often but rationalized the situation saying that many players found themselves in roles above their capabilities.

But why?

The playoffs have long been out of reach and losing is coming anyway. Certainly Sam Montembeault can rotate in to offer Allen a much-deserved mental break.

Allen was not the reason for the loss in Pittsburgh but nor was he particularly sharp. The Canadiens had the upper hand when it came to high-danger scoring chances 10-7 but it was Tristan Jarry who made the timely saves in this game.

After the Canadiens had captured the momentum scoring with just three seconds left in the second period, the Penguins quickly extinguished the flame with their fourth goal just 28 seconds into the third period.

Frustration mounts

The thread unraveled a little more after the loss in Pittsburgh. Jeff Petry criticized the Canadiens system suggesting that the confusion on the ice resulted from a lack of structure. It’s painfully obvious that there is no vision for the season.

Geoff Molson has stated that there will be no changes to the coaching staff before the end of the season but can he honestly continue to put his players through this frustration for the next 52 games?

Up Next

The Canadiens return home to host the Philadelphia Flyers at the Bell Centre on Thursday night.

Plus

▲  Jesse Ylonen, Jonathan Drouin, Brett Kulak

Minus

▼  Mathieu Perreault, Jeff Petry, David Savard, Mike Hoffman, Michael Pezzetta, Cedric Paquette, Nick Suzuki, Jake Allen

Game Preview

Check out the game preview here: Perreault on Top Line | PREVIEW: MTL @ PIT

The Numbers

Game Statistics
CANADIENS   PENGUINS
30 Shots 31
37 Face-off % 63
0-for-2 Power Play 1-for-5
10 Penalty Minutes 4
29 Hits 22
49 Corsi For 41
Scoring Summary
FINAL 1 2 3 OT SO T
Canadiens (6-21-3) 0 2 0 – – 2
Penguins (15-8-5) 1 2 2 – – 5
Scorers Goalies
  • MTL: Drouin (5), Ylonen (1) 
  • PIT: Kapanen (7), Rodrigues (9)-PPG, Matheson (2), Dumoulin (1), Boyle (3)
  • MTL: Allen (L) (5-15-2)
  • PIT: Jarry (W) (13-5-4)

Stars of the Game

Official NHL Three Stars
NHL3stars
  1. Evan Rodrigues  PIT
  2. Sidney Crosby  PIT
  3. Brian Dumoulin  PIT

Watch

Video Highlights

What Did They Say?

Post-game Quotes

Dominique Ducharme

  • “We have a lot of new players coming in, so there are definitely times when there is confusion. But that’s part of the situation we find ourselves in.”
  • “Of course [Jake Allen] plays too much. It’s like some other players who find themselves in situations in which they shouldn’t be.”

Jeff Petry

  • “There’s nothing new to say. It’s frustrating. It’s the same things over and over. We’re not playing as a team. We’re not playing as a group. It’s like you’re searching to find where people are. It seems like there is no structure out there.”
  • “(When) you watch it (from) up top, there are times that you’re scratching your head. I feel like everybody knows where we should be but we’re not going to those places. We’re not making it easy for anybody on the ice except, most of the time, the other team.” 

Quotes courtesy of NHL.com

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2 COMMENTS

    • That’s incorrect. Geoff Molson stated that there would be no changes to the coaching staff in his press conference. It was Molson’s decision. Gorton only repeated it days later.

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