CANADIENS
Montreal

JETS
Winnipeg

Lineup

Forward lines and defense pairings: 

[one_half]Pacioretty – Plekanec – Gallagher
Eller – Galchenyuk – Flynn
Fleischmann – Desharnais – Weise
Byron – Mitchell – Smith-Pelly[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Markov – Subban
Emelin – Petry
Beaulieu – Gilbert[/one_half_last]

Goaltenders:

Condon
Tokarski

Scratches: Greg Pateryn, Jarred Tinordi, Alex Semin
Injured reserve:  Carey Price
Suspended: Zack Kassian

Game Report

Prior to the game, Carey Price walked out onto the ice to accept the Molson Cup as winner for the month of October. Price, who some contend is no more than an afterthought this season, was honoured for his first star selections in the first month of the season.

Besides receiving the award, the operative word in the previous paragraph is “walked.” Price was the topic of conversation all day on Sunday when the Canadiens revealed that the goaltender had been placed on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury. The IR designation means that Price will be out at least one week, retroactive to Thursday.

So the Canadiens turn to Mike Condon, who after his win against the Jets has just four games of NHL experience. Fortunately for the Habs, each one of those starts has been a win.

Fortunately, Condon didn’t have to face the 36 shots that Price did against the Sabres or the 52-shot barrage from the Leafs. Montreal did a superb job protecting their rookie goaltender, with the Jets being limited to 19 shots.

The Canadiens put together a complete effort for a full sixty minutes, something that is rare in recent games. Montreal did not see the ‘real’ Jets, who are a big, fast talented team coming off a game the night before in Columbus. Winnipeg may have been guilty of being too respectful of the Habs, backing off to protect against team speed.

This year’s version of the Canadiens can intimidate.

Tomas Fleischmann led the offense with two goals and an assist on five shots on goal. Alexei Emelin had five blocked shots in support of his young goaltender. Paul Byron led the team with four hits.

Byron had a highlight reel short-handed goal from a breakaway for the second straight game. It is a complete reversal from last season when Byron got a boatload of breakaways but couldn’t convert. The confidence from playing with the league’s No. 1 team seems to be helping.

The Canadiens are now 5-0-0 at home this season. According to Ron Reusch, this hasn’t happened since 1979 which means that it is a first at the Bell Centre.

Montreal will spend the week at home playing a more ‘regular’ schedule with games falling on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

▲     Tomas Fleischmann, Mike Condon, Paul Byron, David Desharnais, Jeff Petry, Alexei Emelin

▼     Brian Flynn, Max Pacioretty

1. David Desharnais   MTL
2. Tomas Fleischmann  MTL
3. Paul Byron  MTL

• “I couldn’t ask for more. I think we played an impeccable game. The first game after a long Western trip, I definitely had certain concerns before the game, and the players responded in an extraordinary way.”
• “You look at all the lines, we’ve got speed and we use our speed to make sure that we’re tough to play against, and we pursue the puck very well.”

Dale Weise

• “We needed a win tonight and we got a complete effort. We had a lot of guys who chipped in, [Condon] was amazing. It feels good to get this one because we’ve played so poorly.“
• “It feels good. You know what? I’ve had so many chances, empty nets that I’ve missed that I just shouldn’t miss. Last night, I had an empty net I missed to make it 4-2. That probably changes the game. I really wanted to come out tonight and contribute.”
• “I was a little shocked to see the hats coming on the ice right away, but not really. The support that we get all over, wherever we’re playing, is incredible. This is a storied franchise. We have the greatest fans in the world. They’re always excited. It felt pretty good to see all those hats coming out.”

Mike Condon

• “It was unbelievable. I got to put the red jersey on during preseason, but right now getting a regular-season game, it’s a lot louder and a lot more fun, and just the whole energy and a very humbling moment for me.”
• “No goalie is going to complain about their team scoring goals. We played well defensively, that translated into offense, and I’ve been very fortunate for that.”
• “There weren’t many scoring chances tonight. The guys won a lot of faceoffs in the zone and blocked a lot of shots even when we were up by five goals. It was nice to see.”
• “Sometimes there are breakdowns and it’s my job to be there. You’re supposed to make the saves that you can, and some that you shouldn’t. I was very fortunate tonight. I’m not going to try to be Carey, I don’t think anybody can. I’m just going to try to keep the spot warm for him.”

Jets coach Paul Maurice

• “I can’t tell you if they were really good because we were really bad, or vice versa. We didn’t have any jump, and that’s it. A far stronger analysis; we weren’t very good.”
• “We didn’t really have any part of our game going tonight.”

Quotes courtesy of NHL.com