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Oilers @ Canadiens: A Storybook Ending | HABS RECAP

Rick Stephens

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

FINAL/OT | Game 35, Home Game 16 | Monday April 5, 2021
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC

CANADIENS

Montreal

3-2

OILERS

Edmonton
Eric Staal (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

Canadiens Lineup

Forward lines

Tomas Tatar – Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher

Jonathan Drouin – Eric Staal – Tyler Toffoli

Corey Perry – Nick Suzuki – Josh Anderson

Paul Byron – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Artturi Lehkonen

Defence pairings

Joel Edmundson – Shea Weber

Brett Kulak – Jeff Petry

Alexander Romanov – Victor Mete

Goaltenders

Carey Price – Jake Allen

Scratches

 

Taxi Squad

Otto Leskinen, Brandon Baddock, Michael Frolik, Jake Evans, Charlie Lindgren

Injuries

Ben Chiarot (hand), Joel Armia (COVID protocol)

Game Report

After sitting idle for a week, it was finally time for Eric Staal to make his Canadiens debut at the Bell Centre. While most expected that Staal would be the pivot on Montreal’s fourth line, Dominique Ducharme had something different in mind. Staal was a gifted a top six position centering Jonathan Drouin and Tyler Toffoli.

Staal had a rather nondescript sixty minutes, playing it safe, deferring to his linemates. Staal kept his shifts unusually brief, just 36 seconds on average, the shortest on the team and about one half of an average Connor McDavid trip over the boards.

Where Staal shined was at the faceoff dot winning the game’s opening draw and going on to a 14 of 18 success rate. After falling behind by two goals, the Canadiens scored twice in the third period to force overtime. All that set the scene for a fairytale ending.

We know the formula by now for overtime. Ducharme once again started the overtime with Phillip Danault, Paul Byron and Jeff Petry. Ducharme knows as well as we do that he isn’t going to get offence, even the game-winning kind from Danault and Byron, but he explains that it is important to get possession in overtime, so he trusts Phil to win the draw.

Danault had the lowest faceoff winning percentage of Canadiens centres in this game. And Danault lost three times to Leon Draisaitl in the extra frame alone. Ducharme’s theory foiled once again.

So it was left to the 36-year-old veteran to take an important draw with 1:16 remaining in overtime. Staal beat Draisaitl at the faceoff dot. The puck was exchanged from Petry to Toffoli and finally back to Staal.

He delivered the game-winner with 58 seconds left in the extra period and in doing so handed the Canadiens with their first overtime win of the season.

Up Next

The Canadiens will skate at Brossard on Tuesday at 11:45 am. before boarding their charter to head to Toronto. The Habs will face the Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.

Plus

▲ Carey Price, Josh Anderson, Nick Suzuki, Alexander Romanov, Corey Perry

Minus

▼  Jonathan Drouin, Joel Edmundson, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Paul Byron, Phillip Danault

Game Preview

Check out the game preview here: Oilers @ Canadiens: Staal To Make Habs Debut

The Numbers

Game Statistics
CANADIENS   OILERS
32 Shots 23
65 Face-off % 35
0-for-2 Power Play 1-for-4
8 Penalty Minutes 4
28 Hits 28
50 Corsi For 29
Scoring Summary
FINAL 1 2 3 OT SO T
Canadiens (17-9-9) 0 0 2 1 – 3
Oilers (23-14-2) 1 1 0 0 – 2
Scorers Goalies
  • MTL: Anderson (14), Tatar (8), Staal (4)
  • EDM: Shore (3), Nurse (13)-PPG
  • MTL: Price (W) 12-6-5
  • EDM: Smith (OTL) 13-3-1

Stars of the Game

Official NHL Three Stars
  1. Eric Staal  MTL
  2. Corey Perry  MTL
  3. Shea Weber  MTL

Watch

Video Highlights

What Did They Say?

Post-game Quotes

Dominique Ducharme

  • “I liked [Eric Staal’s] game. When you play your first game with a team and you score in overtime, you can’t really ask for a better start than that. We’re happy with the win. We’re happy with his debut.”

Eric Staal

  • “It was a lot of fun tonight. We had a pretty good start and guys were engaged. Giving up that first one was tough, up and down a little bit in the second, but I just love that we stayed with it and competed. It was a lot of fun to be a part of. I could feel the energy through the TV screens. I wish it was full because I know what this place is like when it’s full, especially in that type of moment, but it was awesome nonetheless. I was thankful that it was my opportunity tonight, but as a group we’ve got a lot of guys that can be difference-makers here.”

Jeff Petry

  • “It’s a character win. I thought we were playing well. You give up two late goals in both periods, that could deflate you, but we responded the right way. It’s a character win and we can build off that and move forward.”

Quotes courtesy of NHL.com

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