‘A Good Show’ | RECAP: CBJ @ MTL

By
Rick Stephens
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GAME RECAP | Montreal Canadiens vs Columbus Blue Jackets: Habs, Line-up, Score, Statistics, Highlights, Post-game, Interviews, NHL, Three-Stars

FINAL | Game 73, Home Game 36 | Saturday March 25, 2023
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC

CANADIENS

Montreal

8-2

BLUE JACKETS

Columbus
Rafael Harvey-Pinard (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)

Canadiens Lineup

Forward lines

Harvey-Pinard – Nick Suzuki – Mike Hoffman

Jonathan Drouin – Kirby Dach – Denis Gurianov

Jesse Ylonen – Jake Evans – Brendan Gallagher

Michael Pezzetta – Chris Tierney – Alex Belzile

Defence pairings

Mike Matheson – David Savard

Joel Edmundson – Justin Barron

Jordan Harris – Johnathan Kovacevic

Goaltenders

Sam Montembeault – Jake Allen

Scratches

Rem Pitlick, Chris Wideman

Injuries

Carey Price (knee), Paul Byron (hip), Sean Monahan (lower-body), Juraj Slafkovsky (lower-body), Cole Caufield (shoulder), Arber Xhekaj (upper-body), Joel Armia (illness), Christian Dvorak (lower-body), Kaiden Guhle (lower-body), Josh Anderson (lower-body)

Game Report

This game had some of the hallmarks of a pre-season affair. Patchwork lineups, sprinkled with AHL talent with names like Fix-Wolansky and Belzile, for both sides ensured that the game result would be rather unpredictable.

It was a sloppy start with each team taking advantage of opposition mistakes. The Canadiens scored twice in the first period benefiting from elite shots from the sticks of Mike Hoffman and Jesse Ylonen. The Blue Jackets were able to tie the score after blunders by Joel Edmundson and Sam Montembeault.

But the second period was a completely different story. Playing a back-to-back after an overtime game on Friday, Columbus lost the legs looking quite fatigued. The Canadiens used their speed to score four unanswered goals in the middle frame, three by Rafael Harvey-Pinard.

It was the first NHL hat-trick for the 24-year-old and he accomplished it in a single period.

The Canadiens added two more goals in the third period much to the delight of the Bell Centre fans. It was a party-like atmosphere as the wave circled the building numerous times. Nick Suzuki marked the occasion with the first four-point night of his career.

As the head coach said, the Canadiens “put on a good show tonight.”

Up Next

The Canadiens head to Buffalo to face the Sabres on Monday night. 

Plus

▲  Nick Suzuki, Mike Hoffman, Brendan Gallagher, Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Mike Matheson, Jesse Ylonen, Johnathan Kovacevic, Jordan Harris

Minus

▼  Jonathan Drouin, Denis Gurianov, Joel Edmundson

Game Preview

Check out the game preview here: Harris is Back | PREVIEW: CBJ @ MTL

The Numbers

Game Statistics
CANADIENS   BLUE JACKETS
32 Shots 23
38 Face-off % 62
1-for-3 Power Play 0-for-4
8 Penalty Minutes 6
13 Hits 18
53 Corsi For 32
Scoring Summary
FINAL 1 2 3 OT SO T
Canadiens (29-38-6) 2 4 2 – – 8
Blue Jackets (23-42-7) 2 0 0 – – 2
Scorers Goalies
  • MTL: Hoffman (13), Ylonen (6), Harvey-Pinard (10), Harvey-Pinard (11), Gallagher (5), Harvey-Pinard (12)-PPG, Belzile (5), Suzuki (23)
  • CBJ: Pederson (3), Marchenko (19)
  • MTL: Montembeault (W) (15-14-3)
  • CBJ: Merzlikins (L) (7-18-2), Hutchinson

Stars of the Game

NHL Three Stars
NHL3stars
  1. Rafael Harvey-Pinard  MTL
  2. Nick Suzuki  MTL
  3. Mike Hoffman  MTL

Watch

Video Highlights
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What Did They Say?

Post-game Quotes

Marty St. Louis

  • “We put on a good show tonight. Our fans deserve this.”

Rafael Harvey-Pinard

  • “It’s an incredible moment. I had chills to hear the Bell Center. It was so loud. I often dreamed of this moment when I was young.”
  • “It’s a dream for me to be here and I still have a hard time resisting it. Right now it’s my reality and I have to be able to perform game after game. I’m happy to be here and I’m making the most of it.”

Quotes courtesy of NHL.com

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