Habs News: NHL, Montreal Canadiens, Martin St. Louis, Nick Suzuki, Joel Edmundson, Laval Rocket, Trois-Rivieres Lions
ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA | LAVAL, QC. — On Saturday, the Kraken spoiled the Canadiens return to the Bell Centre with a 4-3 shootout win. The 20,608 spectators got good value for their tickets.
“I think we played really well in the first. Two bad bounces put us behind. Our second period was so-so. We didn’t control the puck enough in the offensive zone during our power plays, and it took away momentum from us. We were okay during five-on-five. I’m happy we fought back in the third period, and it was pretty exciting at the end,” Martin St. Louis said post game.
Alexander Romanov scored for the first time since December 11th, snapping a 27-game drought. Michael Pezzetta snapped a 11-game drought and the coach rewarded him by sending him out in the seventh round of the shootout. The forward’s attempt hit the post to the right of Philipp Grubauer.
“He scored a goal tonight, he’s a very good teammate, and the guys on the bench told me that he has a good shootout move. I don’t know him as a shootout guy. When he hit the ice for the shootout, you saw the whole arena react. Even before his shot, I thought it was the right move, and I think he got the biggest ovation,” explained St. Louis.
Another Comeback
The Canadiens came from behind on a consecutive night as Rem Pitlick tied the score with a short handed goal in the final minute against Philadelphia on Sunday. In overtime, Pitlick forced a turnover in the neutral zone and set up Cole Caufield for the game winning goal in Montreal’s 4-3 win.
“The boys believe that we’re able to come back,” St. Louis said. “The way we play, the guys know that we don’t need to cheat, and that we’re going to create scoring chances.”
“We started out slow. It’s always tough going back-to-back. We had a late night travel. I think we were a little sluggish at the start, but definitely earned that win,” Nick Suzuki said. Suzuki scored twice, and set a new personal career high in points with 43.
The Canadiens left Philadelphia will a longer injury list. First, Artturi Lehkonen left early from warmups after showing signs of discomfort when taking a show.
#Habs Artturi Lehkonen footage from warmups. Looks to be uncomfortable after taking shot pic.twitter.com/eoRpyDEHLf
— Chris G (@ChrisHabs360) March 14, 2022
Second, in the middle frame Ryan Poehling left the game with an upper body injury after being hit into the boards by Justin Braun.
#Habs Ryan Poehling headed to dressing room following this hit. @AllHabs @RocketSports #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/y4o0RF1ROr
— Chris G (@ChrisHabs360) March 14, 2022
The Canadiens have Monday off, and will return on Tuesday when they host the Arizona Coyotes.
Edmundson Returns
Saturday marked Joel Edmundson‘s return to the lineup. The defenceman had not played since the team’s loss in the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning. An injury and a setback sidelined Edmundson since the beginning of the season.
In his first game, Edmundson’s ice time was 16:38, took two shots on goal, and delivered six hits. “He kept it simple, he was physical, and he was tough,” St. Louis evaluated.
“Doesn’t matter how much you practice, it doesn’t really relate to a game. There were a few shifts where I was trying to catch my breath, and I started to cramp up in the third, but it was just nice to get back out there with the guys, and I think over the next couple of games, I’ll get back into game shape,” Edmundson added.
In addition to his injury, Edmundson left the team temporarily to join his family after his father passed away in January. “It’s been an emotional day, that’s for sure. I think about him every day. I was really hoping to get a goal tonight for him. Next goal’s definitely going to be for him. I know he’s up there looking down on me, and he’s going to be with me for the rest of my career and the rest of my life. I definitely wouldn’t be here without him,” said an emotional Edmundson.
Despite not being able to play, the defenceman’s presence was felt by his teammates. “He likes to make sure we’re doing stuff together, and likes to have everyone involved. He just loves being around the guys, he loves having these little things that he’s a part of. He’s an easy guy to get along with,” Brendan Gallagher said.
In consultation with the team’s doctors, Edmundson was not dressed in Philadelphia.
Rocket Lose a Pair
The Rocket completed their three-game road trip with a pair of games in Pennsylvania over the weekend. On Friday, Laval had a two-goal lead before allowing three unanswered goals to Lehigh Valley in a 4-3 loss.
“Very disappointed. When you have a 3-2 lead on the road in the third period, it’s important to find a way to keep the lead, and it wasn’t the case tonight,” Jean-Francois Houle said postgame. “The goal at the end of the second period hurt us bad. They came out strong in the third period, and we weren’t able to have the energy to come from behind.”
On Saturday, Laval trailed 3-1 through 20 minutes, and managed to score only twice on their 39 shots on goal against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in a 6-2 loss.
“We gave an effort, but in the second we had several chances to make it a one-goal game. [Louis Domingue] made big saves, and we weren’t able to find the back of the net. Fatigue has hit our team,” Houle said.
The Rocket returned home following Saturday’s game, and will hit the ice back on Tuesday. Laval finished a stretch of 14 games in 23 days, where they won six games, and lost players due to injuries. Cedric Paquette is expected to report to Laval, after clearing waivers on Sunday.
Until Friday’s home game against Hartford, Houle said that his squad needs to work on play in the neutral zone, and zone exits.
(Quotes courtesy of 91.9 Sports)
Lions Lose Big in Newfoundland
The Trois-Rivieres Lions completed their four-game series against the Newfoundland Growlers on the weekend. On Friday, the Lions kept it close through 40 minutes before the Growlers scored three times in the third to win 6-1.
“We tried to survive as long as possible, but we are doing what we can at the moment. We are really in survival mode. […] It is catching up with us. We’ve been trying to keep our heads above water for a while, but playing nine forwards, including several who aren’t in the right chair, isn’t easy,” Eric Belanger said postgame.
On Saturday, the Lions had a 2-0 lead through 20 minutes before things went sour. Newfoundland scored nine times in the final two periods as they went on to win 9-4 at Mary Brown’s Centre.
On Sunday, Trois-Rivieres scored twice in the third period to make it a close game, but it was not enough as Newfoundland came on top 5-4.
“If we can take positives from the loss, which is rarely the case for me, we will do it. It’s not very easy at the moment for the team. We showed character, but we got two stupid penalties that took away our rhythm in the third period. We ran out of gas at the end,” Belanger said.
The Lions have won two times in the last 12 games. return home for three games at the Colisee Videotron against Worcester on Wednesday, Newfoundland on Thursday, and Maine on Friday.
(Quotes courtesy of Le Nouvelliste)
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