CANADIENS
Montreal

RANGERS
New York

Lineup

Forward lines and defense pairings 

[one_half]Tatar – Danault – Gallagher
Drouin – Domi – Shaw
Byron – Kotkaniemi – Lehkonen
Agostino – Chaput – Deslauriers
[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Kulak – Weber
Schlemko – Petry
Reilly – Benn

[/one_half_last]

Goaltenders

Price
Niemi

Scratches

Hudon, Peca, Ouellet

Injuries

Armia, Juulsen

Game Report 

So, were you one of those fans tweeting about Shea Weber being slow and washed up? Tonight the captain had a message for you.

The Canadiens captain scored twice tonight, his first two goals of the season in his second game. What was more impressive was the way he scored.

The Habs first goal came before the four minute mark of the first period from a Weber blast. But we know that there are a few more kms. in reserve than what the captain delivered from a half-slapper.

Just eight seconds before the end of the opening frame, Weber pasted Mika Zibanejad into the boards behind the Montreal net to create a turnover. Weber then skated the full length of the ice and picked the top corner for his second goal of the period.

The Canadiens captain was back, was chosen as the first star and got to wear the Game of Thrones cape that he brought to the team this season.

Let’s not lose sight of the fact that to win this game, the Canadiens needed more than just the contribution of Weber. Carey Price was outstanding from the drop of the puck. And the Canadiens hardest worker, Artturi Lehkonen, was rewarded with two goals in the game.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi had a strong game. With his parents in the building, the 18-year-old looked like he was on a mission at times. Kotkaniemi played more than two-and-a-half minutes above his season average.

Paul Byron had an immediate impact on the Canadiens third line that had been sputtering with a rotation of Kenny Agostino, Matthew Peca and Charles Hudon.

Max Domi has cooled off with just one goal in his last eight games. His penalty for  embellishment in the second period brought his total to a team-leading 27 minutes.

Sure the Rangers have just three wins in 13 games on the road. But this was a desperately needed win by the Canadiens who ended their five-game skid.

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▲  Carey Price, Shea Weber, Artturi Lehkonen, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Tomas Tatar, Paul Byron

▼  Nicolas Deslauriers, Jordie Benn, Michael Chaput, Phillip Danault

1. Shea Weber  MTL
2. Artturi Lehkonen  MTL
3. Tomas Tatar  MTL

• “I felt good. A bit of rust in the first period, but in the second and third, I felt better and better every shift. My linemates [Artturi Lehkonen and Jesperi Kotkaniemi] are easy to play with. For my first game, it went well.”

Shea Weber

• “The biggest thing is winning. You help out by scoring goals or stopping goals, whichever way it is. It’s coming in here after this and getting two points, that’s the part that I definitely missed the most.”
• “In my first game, I had a lot of shots blocked and I tried to get the shot off quicker tonight.”

Brendan Gallagher

• “[Shea Weber] just does so much. We did a decent job, guys stepping up and trying to fill the void with him out of the lineup, but you can’t replace him. You can’t replace what he does. When he’s on the ice, you just feel so comfortable that good things are going to happen. You look at the two games that he played, I think that’s been the case.”

Artturi Lehkonen

• “It’s just about sticking with it and really putting the work in.”

Quotes courtesy of NHL.com