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RECAP | Blue Jackets – Canadiens: Habs Find A Way to Win

Rick Stephens

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

FINAL/SO | Game 18, Home Game 9 | Tuesday November 12, 2019
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC

CANADIENS

Montreal

3-2

BLUE JACKETS

Columbus

Canadiens Lineup

Forward lines

Jonathan Drouin – Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher

Paul Byron – Max Domi – Joel Armia

Tomas Tatar – Nick Suzuki – Artturi Lehkonen

Ryan Poehling – Nate Thompson – Nick Cousins

Defence pairings

Victor Mete – Shea Weber

Ben Chiarot – Jeff Petry

Brett Kulak – Cale Fleury

Goaltenders

Carey Price – Keith Kinkaid

Scratches

Christian Folin, Jordan Weal, Mike Reilly

Injuries

Jesperi Kotkaniemi

Game Report

All’s well that ends well, I suppose.

But should Marc Bergevin be just a little concerned that the Canadiens last two games against bottom feeders have been nail biters? Montreal squeaked by the Kings on Saturday night and needed extra time against the Blue Jackets.

It should also be noted that the Habs have been heavily leaning on their goaltender lately. Carey Price has been named an official star in each of the past three games; two first stars and a second.

As mentioned in previous recaps, a home-heavy schedule in November against non-playoff teams is the time when Montreal must stockpile points. And so far they are. But is this method sustainable?

Bergevin chose to sit on Geoff Molson’s wallet this summer. Presently, the Canadiens find themselves with the Blue Jackets and Senators at the bottom of the league in terms of cap spending. Montreal’s current cap surplus is calculated at more than $7.2 million by CapFriendly.

Is Paul Byron playing like a second line scoring winger? Does Brett Kulak belong in the lineup of a team with playoff aspirations? Adding a top six scoring winger and a top pairing defenceman were needs when the off-season began and remained unfilled when the puck dropped on the new season. 

Tonight after sleep-walking through two periods, the Canadiens found a way to bank two points. Thanks Carey Price! But Bergevin needs to be upgrading the talent on this team soon. 

Following the game, the Habs announced that Ryan Poehling was re-assigned to the Laval Rocket. The Canadiens will practice at 11 am. on Wednesday at Brossard. 

Plus / Minus

▲  Carey Price, Jeff Petry, Artturi Lehkonen, Nick Suzuki, Cale Fleury

▼  Brett Kulak, Nate Thompson, Ryan Poehling, Max Domi

The Numbers

 Game Statistics 
CANADIENS   BLUE JACKETS
32 Shots 35
55 Face-off % 45
0-for-2 Power Play 0-for-3
6 Penalty Minutes 4
21 Hits 28
54 Corsi For 38
 Scoring Summary
 FINAL 1 2 3 OT SO T
 Canadiens (10-5-3) 0 0 2 0 1 3
 Blue Jackets (6-8-4) 1 0 1 0 0 2
Scorers Goalies
  • MTL: Gallagher (8), Tatar (6)
  • Game deciding goal: Drouin 
  • CBJ: Robinson (1), Werenski (5)
  • MTL: Price (W) 9-4-2
  • CBJ: Merzlikins (OTL) 0-1-3

Stars of the Game

 NHL Official Three Stars
  1. Carey Price  MTL
  2. Jonathan Drouin  MTL
  3. Zach Werenski  CBJ

Watch

 Video Highlights 

What Did They Say?

 Post-game Quotes
Claude Julien  
  • “We got to be focused, we got to get better in certain areas and part of it was we had to win more battles than not. Give our penalty-kill a lot of credit, especially in the overtime. They did a great job at 4-on-3 and allowed us to get into a shootout.”
Carey Price
  • “I was calm during the shootout, and obviously excited to win. It’s a big win coming back from being down with a minute left. It’s a big two points for us.”

Brendan Gallagher

  • “It was a good thing we had Carey Price in there. There are games like this when it isn’t our best. It wasn’t terrible, but there are nights when you get two points and those are big points at the end of the year.”

Tomas Tatar

  • “[Nick Suzuki] is a skilled player and we made eye contact and I just got ready for the shot. Obviously, it was a beautiful play. I was trying to hide a little bit and I was trying to find my spot. He was trying to be patient and it was a beautiful play.”

Quotes courtesy of NHL.com

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