Habs News: NHL, Montreal Canadiens, Carey Price, Martin St. Louis, Michael Pezzetta, Laval Rocket, Trois-Rivieres Lions
ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA | LAVAL, QC. — After 282 days, Carey Price made his anticipated season debut between the pipes on Friday. His last start was in game 5 of the final, when the Tampa Bay Lightning hoisted the Stanley Cup in front of their fans.
It marked the third time in Price’s career that he has gone as long between starts. He had a 330-day span from Nov. 25, 2015 to Oct. 20, 2016 and a 295-day stretch from March 30, 2012 to Jan. 19, 2013.
“I felt pretty good overall. There’s some reads in the game that I felt like I wasn’t quite picking up,” Price said after his first start.
The fans roared and chanted the goalie’s name when Michel Lacroix announced the starting lineup. It continued throughout the game, and after the final buzzer when Price was named the second star.
“It was a lot of fun. Obviously it was heartwarming. It made me feel really wanted. It was definitely emotional, but I was able to stifle that and stay focused, because I wanted to play well tonight,” Price said about 21,105 fans in the building.
Price and the medical staff put in a lot work to reach to this point. “Every setback that I had along the way was caused by the movements I had to do. I would gain inflammation in my knee and I would limit my movements, and really not allow me to play at a level that I thought was going to be acceptable. It was definitely been a frustrating process for myself.”
There’s no plan for Price’s usage until the end of the season, but the goalie’s objective is to play at a level that he feels acceptable.
Two More Losses
After an embarrassing loss to Columbus, the Canadiens played well on Friday against the New York Islanders, but it was not enough, as they ended up on the wrong side of a 3-0 shutout loss. Price stopped 17 of the 19 shots he faced.
“It was our best game in about a month in terms of three periods. We’ve had a good period here, a couple good periods there, but I felt we were really good from start to finish, and it showed. I think we had 89 shot attempts to 39. Do I think it’s because of Carey? I think it has something to do with it,” Martin St. Louis said post game.
On Saturday, Montreal was trailing 4-3 to Washington early in the third period, when a turnover by Brendan Gallagher led to a Capitals goal. The floodgates opened as Washington scored three more times in the period to win 8-4.
St. Louis was happy with the team’s first 40 minutes, but felt like the fifth goal changed the game. “The fifth goal hurt. Our balloon popped. We had some hope when it was 4-3, and on the next shift it went 5-3. Our balloon popped, and it was hard for us to get back into the game. In the third period, their players had a lot of confidence, they were moving the puck well and in combination with our balloon popping, it was a very difficult third period for us.”
Defensive zone struggles
Saturday represented the 28th time this season that Montreal has allowed at least five goals in a game. The team is currently setting a new franchise record in that category, surpassing the previous record of 26 times.
Saturday’s loss was Montreal’s ninth defeat in last 11 games. During this sequence, they have allowed 50 goals to their opponents. The Arizona Coyotes are the only team that has allowed more goals in that span.
“We’re not consistent. Against the Islanders we gave 6-7 chances, and in the first period against Washington we gave 3-4 chances. It’s good numbers,” St. Louis answered when asked about team’s recent defensive zone play. “If you look at the last 6-7 games, maybe we’ve given up a bit more chances, but I think we just got to find consistency. In the situation we’re in, we have to continue coaching and correct the errors.”
“A little bit of communication. We got to be a little bit more aware out there, when to go and when to not, and clean our d-zone a little bit. For the most part, I thought we did a lot of good things in the last couple of games, breaking out of our end, and playing in the offensive zone as much as we can,” Josh Anderson added.
Jake Evans felt that the team did a good job against the Islanders, but some adjustments are needed after Saturday’s performance. “I think for us, it’s just being a little more engaged, and helping each other out, and looking out for each other.”
Pezzetta in Hot Seat
On Sunday, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety (DOPS) announced that Michael Pezzetta will have a hearing on Monday for an illegal check to the head on Washington’s T.J. Oshie. The incident took place at the 15:44 mark of the third period, and Pezzetta received a minor penalty on the play. Pezzetta has not been previously suspended by the NHL.
Rocket Closer to Clinching
The Rocket were in Cleveland on Saturday for a second consecutive game against the Monsters. Laval took control of the contest in the third period with three goals, that allowed them to win 4-2.
“It wasn’t easy, but we found a way to win. We scored an important power play goal that allowed us to get the lead,” Jean-Francois Houle said postgame. It was a physical game with both teams totalling 78 penalty minutes. “They tried to play physical and change the momentum, but we didn’t fall in their trap. We pushed back and it worked out for us.”
Lukas Vejdemo left the game early in the second period with a lower body injury. Earlier in the day, Houle had decided to scratch the forward for the match, but an illness to Brandon Gignac led to the coach inserting Vejdemo back into the lineup. After the game, Houle said that there’s no timeline for his absence, but he was happy with the way that Vejdemo responded and played prior to his injury.
The Rocket’s five game road trip ends in Belleville on Monday. Cayden Primeau is expected to join team following his recent stint with the Canadiens. Laval has six games remaining, and the magic number to clinch a playoff spot is five.
(Quotes courtesy of 91.9 Sports)
Lions Clinch Playoff Spot
The Trois-Rivieres Lions concluded the regulation season with a pair of home games against the Worcester Railers. On Friday, the Lions exploded with four goals that led them to a 5-0 victory.
“I liked how our game was tight defensively. It was a playoff atmosphere and the fans were involved in the game. Our players responded very well,” Eric Belanger said postgame.
The win allowed the Lions to clinch a playoff spot in organization’s inaugural season. “It’s a good feeling. We talked about it before the game that we didn’t have it easy this year. It’s pleasant, to have such a performance when everything is on the line. I am proud of the guys, and what they have achieved,” added the coach.
On Saturday, Trois-Rivieres needed overtime to come up victorious 3-2 against Worcester. “I didn’t want bad habits. I liked our game. The pressure could have eased up with our playoff spot already. I feel that we are peaking at the right time. If we can have a healthy team, it will give us good depth for the playoffs,” Belanger said.
Trois-Rivieres will face the Newfoundland Growlers in the first round of the playoffs. The Growlers won 10 of the 14 regular season matches between the teams. Newfoundland outscored the Lions 68 to 39 during their season matches.
The series between the Canadiens and Maple Leafs ECHL affiliates begin in Newfoundland on Friday.
(Quotes courtesy of Le Nouvelliste)
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