Canadiens Lineup

Tyler Toffoli – Nick Suzuki – Joel Armia 

Tomas Tatar – Phillip Danault – Cole Caufield

Josh Anderson – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Corey Perry

Artturi Lehkonen – Jake Evans – Eric Staal 

Ben Chiarot – Shea Weber

Joel Edmundson – Jeff Petry

Erik Gustafsson – Jon Merrill

Jake Allen – Cayden Primeau

Brett Kulak 

Michael Frolik, Xavier Ouellet, Charlie Lindgren, Alexander Romanov

Brendan Gallagher (hand), Carey Price (concussion), Paul Byron (lower-body), Jonathan Drouin (illness)

Game Report

Well, someone had to win. In a brutally played game between two teams who had every reason to put in an inspired effort, Montreal stumbled to a win they really needed. It wasn’t pretty but the Habs can exhale a little as the two points has given them a bit more breathing room for the final playoff spot in the North division.

Offensive opportunities were very limited with each team closing off scoring lanes. It was a tough night for Jake Allen who fought the puck and punted rebounds into the slot. But his teammates bailed him out time and time again as they beat the Flames to loose pucks in their own zone. 

The offence, for both teams, primarily came from the respective power-plays. For Montreal it was a rare goal with the man advantage as Shea Weber launched a rocket past Jacob Markstrom. The difference maker was Tyler Toffoli, who took advantage of some good work by Nick Suzuki and Joel Armia.

Of course, all of the pre-game hype focused on the NHL debut of Cole Caufield, and the roster gymnastics it took to get him on the ice. Caufield had four shots on goal in 15:40 of icetime, not looking out of place. Caufield’s play in all three zones is still a work in progress. 

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