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Canadiens @ Flames: Outbattled | HABS RECAP

Rick Stephens

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

FINAL | Game 45, Away Game 23 | Friday April 23, 2021
Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB

CANADIENS

Montreal

2-4

FLAMES

Calgary
(Photo by Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images)

Canadiens Lineup

Forward lines

Tyler Toffoli – Nick Suzuki – Joel Armia

Tomas Tatar – Phillip Danault – Josh Anderson

Artturi Lehkonen – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Paul Byron

Eric Staal – Corey Perry

Defence pairings

Ben Chiarot – Shea Weber

Joel Edmundson – Jeff Petry

Alexander Romanov – Jon Merrill

Erik Gustafsson

Goaltenders

Jake Allen – Cayden Primeau

Scratches

Brett Kulak, Jonathan Drouin

Taxi Squad

Michael Frolik, Cole Caufield, Jake Evans, Xavier Ouellet, Charlie Lindgren

Injuries

Brendan Gallagher (hand), Carey Price (concussion)

Game Report

As we have heard many times, there are many good teams in the NHL. On any given day, a bottom ranked team can beat one at the top of the standings. There is parity in the league.

But there are teams who are able to rise to the top and stay near the top all season long. They are the teams in the NHL who play with consistency. The Canadiens have been anything but consistent this season. 

So how does a team become consistent? A well-constructed roster with lots of top tier talent supplemented with plenty of cost-controlled young contributors who have been developed in the organization is a good start. While the Canadiens are better than the 24th placed team of 2019-20, Marc Bergevin hasn’t been able to assemble a contender.

Another way to maintain consistency is through smart, experienced coaching. A true leader behind the bench will inspire his troops to perform at an optimum level. He knows which buttons to push and when to lean on particular players. A great head coach will have his team well-prepared and will be effective at making adjustments.

Can anyone honestly argue that either head coach the Canadiens have employed this season has effectively checked off those boxes?

So with an inexperienced head coach and a pretty good lineup, the Canadiens are stumbling from games where they look like world beaters (primarily due to the will of their vets) to uninspired performances like tonight. Putting it all together every game  without proper guidance and an abundance of talent has proved to be a bridge too far.

Up Next

Calgary trails Montreal by six points in the standings while the Habs hold one game in hand. The Canadiens and Flames will be back at the Saddledome in less than 24 hours.

Plus

▲   Joel Armia 

Minus

▼  Phillip Danault, Paul Byron, Eric Staal

Game Preview

Check out the game preview here: Canadiens @ Flames: Battle For Playoff Spot

The Numbers

Game Statistics
CANADIENS   FLAMES
20 Shots 31
39 Face-off % 61
0-for-1 Power Play 1-for-1
2 Penalty Minutes 2
22 Hits 14
31 Corsi For 50
Scoring Summary
FINAL 1 2 3 OT SO T
Canadiens (20-16-9) 2 0 0 – – 2
Flames (20-23-3) 2 0 2 – – 4
Scorers Goalies
  • MTL: Toffoli (23), Armia (6)
  • CGY: Dube (8), Mangiapane (13)-PPG, Monahan (10), Lindholm (14)
  • MTL: Allen (L) 8-9-4
  • CGY: Markstrom (W) 16-16-2

Stars of the Game

Official NHL Three Stars
  1. Andrew Mangiapane  CGY
  2. Johnny Gaudreau  CGY
  3. Sean Monahan  CGY

Watch

Video Highlights

What Did They Say?

Post-game Quotes

Dominique Ducharme

  • “We didn’t create enough scoring chances, that’s for sure. On the other hand, we aren’t expecting offensive games. We have to do a better job overall. We gave them chances that they shouldn’t have had. That’s the first thing. We expect tight games. That’s the way it’s going to be the rest of the season. We have to create more offensively. We have to be more dynamic with the puck. We have to go to the net. I think we can also defend better. We gave them too much.”

Joel Edmundson

  • “Tonight, we just didn’t get to our game enough. We let them pressure us all over the ice, and we didn’t generate enough offense. We were kind of one-and-done in the offensive zone. We’ve got to work them down low.”
  • “They were wide open in the slot. We just have to have the guys covered. It’s just communication in the defensive zone. We need to call it out and say who has who. It’s pretty simple. We just had little breakdowns like that, and they took advantage of them. We’ve just got to limit those.”

Phillip Danault

  • “They support each other well. They always have two or three guys on the puck. I think it’s something we have to improve. We have to support each other better and be hungrier with the puck. I think we lost too many pucks tonight. Luckily, we have the chance to get back at it right away.”

Quotes courtesy of NHL.com

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