DENVER | The Canadian almost carried out a theft of a highway at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.
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Dominated by the Avalanche for the last 40 minutes of play, Martin St-Louis’ squad managed to resist long enough to leave the Ball Arena in Denver with one more point in the standings.
It was a goal from Mikko Rantanen, already his 22nd of the season, which sealed the outcome of the match and gave the hosts a 2-1 win in extra time.
During the previous streak, Jonathan Drouin came within a hair’s breadth of materializing this improbable victory for the Canadiens. He managed to outflank the Avalanche defenseman, but was unable to outsmart Alexandar Georgiev.
“We didn’t deserve the two points tonight. If that had been the case, we would have committed a theft, admitted Martin St-Louis. But it’s a big point on the road. I’m happy with the way the guys fought. We just didn’t have enough gas. »
Richard explodes
Gas, Anthony Richard seemed to have full skates when he opened the mark. Picking up speed in the neutral zone, he exploded to outrun Samuel Girard and Erik Johnson and escape past Georgiev.
The Trifluvien thus scored the first goal of his career in the NHL. A birthday present arriving a day late for the one who celebrated his 26th birthday on Tuesday.
“Jake (Evans) looked at me and he gave me the pass. I saw the opening. I score goals like that in the American League. On the bench, I had a lot of emotions. Several things were going through my mind. I come from afar, almost three years since my last match. With this goal, I release a little pressure, ”he said once back in the locker room.
It was the first time in seven games that the Canadiens scored in the first period. Johnathan Kovacevic, in Seattle, was the last to achieve this “tour de force”.
Lehkonen se fait Plaisir
It was a good thing for the Montrealers since the rest of the game belonged to the Avalanche. In the second and third periods, Jake Allen had to surpass himself on many occasions. Entangled in his territory, the Canadian allowed 23 shots to the opponent during these two engagements. During that time, he barely fired seven shots.
Artturi Lehkonen, who was eager to face his former team, tied the game early in the third period. Richard had been in the dungeon for seven seconds.
►The Canadiens will play their next game, the last before the short Christmas break, on Thursday in Dallas.
First period
1-Mon: Anthony Richard (1)(Evans, Armia)1:48
Punishments: No punishment
Second period
No goal
Penalties: Penalty: Xhekaj (Mon) 18:16
Third period
2-Col: Artturi Lehkonen (9) (Rantanen, Makar) AN-2:16
Penalties: Richard (Mon) 2:09, Malgin (Col) 9:55
Prolongation
3-Col: Mikko Rantanen (22)(Toews) 1:51
Punishments: No punishment
Shoot to the net
Montreal 12 – 4 – 3 – 1 – 20 Colorado 12 – 14 – 9 – 1 – 36
Guardians:
Goalkeepers: Mon: Jake Allen (PP, 9-12-1) Col: Alexandar Georgiev (G, 14-6-2)
Numerical advantages:
Mon: 0 in 1, Col: 1 in 2
Referees:
Jake Brenk, T. J. Luxmore
Linesmen:
Jesse Marquis, Bevan Mills
ASSISTANCE:
18 091
What we noticed
The Canadian grounded
The Canadian had to leave Denver immediately following the match in order to travel to Dallas. However, weather conditions prevented the aircraft from taking off. The team therefore had to change its plans and fly to Texas on Thursday morning.
Drouin stands out once more
Jonathan Drouin has been praised by Martin St-Louis since his return to the game. Again Wednesday, he played a strong game. In the first period alone, we saw him complete a check on Kurtis MacDermid and perform an intense retreat to prevent the Avalanche from threatening Jake Allen’s net on a two-on-one. To say that he almost ended the meeting with the winning goal.
The energetic Cale Makar
Even if he is moving at altitude, Cale Makar does not seem to be affected too much. Again on Wednesday, he spent almost every other minute on the playing surface. The Norris and Conn Smythe trophy winner saw action for 26:58. The most used player in the NHL, he was overtaken on Wednesday by Devon Toews (27 mins 34s).
A stop like in time
Jake Allen is the only reason why the Canadian was able to return to the locker room following the second period, still with a 1-0 lead. The Canadian’s goalkeeper resisted 15 shots. His mitt save at the expense of Logan O’Connor by throwing himself sideways was reminiscent of Bill Ranford’s golden years with the Edmonton Oilers.
