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Jets @ Canadiens: Armia, Price Lead the Way | HABS GAME 3 RECAP

Rick Stephens

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

FINAL | Round 2, Game 3 | Sunday June 6, 2021

Canadiens lead series 3-0
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC

CANADIENS

Montreal

5-1

JETS

Winnipeg
Joel Armia, Carey Price (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

Canadiens Lineup

Forward lines

Tyler Toffoli – Nick Suzuki – Cole Caufield

Artturi Lehkonen – Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher

Paul Byron – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Josh Anderson

Joel Armia – Eric Staal – Corey Perry

Defence pairings

Ben Chiarot – Shea Weber

Joel Edmundson – Jeff Petry

Brett Kulak – Erik Gustafsson

Goaltenders

Carey Price – Jake Allen

Scratches

Tomas Tatar, Michael Frolik, Alexander Romanov, Charlie Lindgren

Black Aces

Alex Belzile, Laurent Dauphin, Lukas Vejdemo, Jesse Ylonen, Cale Fleury, Otto Leskinen, Xavier Ouellet, Cayden Primeau, Michael McNiven

Injuries

Jonathan Drouin (undisclosed), Jon Merrill (undisclosed), Jake Evans (concussion)

Game Report

The Winnipeg Jets were determined to set the tone by playing a strong first period. Carey Price had to be sharp once again. But it was the Canadiens fourth line that established the momentum early with a lengthy shift that maintained offensive pressure in the Jets zone culminating with a goal by Corey Perry. The opening marker was assisted by linemates Eric Staal and Joel Armia.

Fast forwarding to the midpoint of the game, it was the relentless effort from an unheralded Hab as Artturi Lehkonen fought to put a loose puck behind Connor Hellebuyck. Since his return to the lineup, all Lehkonen has done has setup the game-winner in game 2 and score the game winning goal tonight. That’s clutch.

But it was Joel Armia’s short-handed goal in the second period that took the wind out of the Jets sails. Armia added a second shortie in the waning minutes of the game, giving him a three-point night. 

Carey Price stopped all 25 of 26 shots for a .963 save percentage on the night. Overall, Price has a .938 save percentage in the playoffs this season, tops in the NHL. In Winnipeg’s post-game media availability, Price’s name was mentioned frequently by Jets shooters.

Pierre-Luc Dubois, bumped into the number one centre position for the Jets, has been a dud in this series for the Jets. It must have been a little unsettling for Marc Bergevin, who aggressively pursued Dubois, a Quebec native, at the beginning of this season and at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Dubois was booed by Bell Centre fans as he carried the puck up the ice in the third period.

The Canadiens have now won six straight games for the first time since March 2017. Since game five of round one, Montreal has never trailed. Yet, it appears some media are still having difficulty believing that the Canadiens are real.

Up Next

Tonight’s game was the first time in history that the Canadiens have played in the Bell Centre in the month of June. In addition to 2500 fans, Guy Lafleur was in attendance with Yvan Cournoyer and Rejean Houle. The two teams are in action again on Monday night as the Canadiens have a chance to close out the series.

Plus

▲  Carey Price, Shea Weber, Joel Armia, Artturi Lehkonen, Ben Chiarot, Nick Suzuki, Corey Perry

Minus

▼  Brett Kulak, Josh Anderson

Game Preview

Check out the game preview here: Jets @ Canadiens: Bell Centre Energy | HABS GAME 3 PREVIEW

The Numbers

Game Statistics
CANADIENS   JETS
33 Shots 27
49 Face-off % 52
1-for-5 Power Play 0-for-2
4 Penalty Minutes 10
23 Hits 32
46 Corsi For 57
Scoring Summary
FINAL 1 2 3 OT SO T
Canadiens (7-3) 1 2 2 – – 5
Jets (4-3) 0 1 0 – – 1
Scorers Goalies
  • MTL: Perry (3), Lehkonen (1), Armia (3)-SHG, Suzuki (4)-PPG, Armia (4)-SHG/ENG
  • WPG: Lowry (2)
  • MTL: Price (W) 7-3
  • WPG: Hellebuyck (L) 4-3

Stars of the Game

Official NHL Three Stars
  1. Joel Armia  MTL
  2. Artturi Lehkonen  MTL
  3. Carey Price  MTL

Watch

Video Highlights

What Did They Say?

Post-game Quotes

Dominique Ducharme

  • “[Carey Price] gives our group a lot of confidence. He’s playing inspired hockey. But, I thought we were solid tonight, both offensively and defensively. He’s a huge part of our team, but I liked the way our players handled themselves in front of him.”

Brendan Gallagher

  • “Probably on the board, they’re listed fourth, but they’re definitely not a fourth line. They’re playing big-boy hockey. They’ve been able to put together such long cycle shifts for us and work the puck down low. They all use their size to their advantage. They know what they are as a line and they just play to their strengths. Playoff hockey has certainly brought out the best in them. They’ve been awesome for us.”

Joel Armia

  • “I love to play with those two guys (Eric Staal and Corey Perry). They’re really easy to play with. They’re really good with the puck in the corners and hanging onto the puck down low. It’s a lot of fun playing with those guys. I feel like somehow we’re three similar types of players. We’re all big boys and everybody can hang onto the puck and do the same kinds of things. They’re both great players.”
  • “[Carey Price] means everything to us. He is unbelievable every single game. It is a different kind of confidence that you get when he is back there.”

Blake Wheeler

  • “When you play against a team with the goalie (Carey Price), the way he’s playing, and once they get a lead, it completely changes the way they play the game.”

Adam Lowry

  • “[Carey Price] is a world-class goalie for a reason. He’s always voted the goalie you’d like to have in the net in NHL player polls for a winner-take-all kind of game.”

Quotes courtesy of NHL.com

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