Summary
ANAHEIM – Jonathan Drouin finally scored his first goal of the season, but Anaheim scored twice on the power play in the second half of the third period and the Ducks beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Friday night.
Drouin opened the scoring barely a minute into the game. Drouin had 18 assists since the start of the season but was unable to find the back of the net in his first 38 games. His last goal dated back to January 1, 2022.
“I was happy to score, especially at the start of the game like that, mentioned Drouin. Unfortunately, we had a chance to win that game, but we mightn’t find the way. »
Mason McTavish broke the tie midway through the third period to give the Ducks a 2-1 lead. From the left circle, McTavish converted a pass from Cam Fowler at 11:01 into the third period. The third overall pick in 2021 had a fifth point in his last three games. The goal came as the Canadiens’ Chris Tierney was penalized for tripping.
Jakob Silfverberg added an insurance goal at 15:00, once more with the advantage. Josh Anderson had held back. Jayson Megna was the Ducks’ other scorer in the first period.
John Gibson has made 26 saves for the Ducks, winning four in their last five games.
Suzuki scored with 30 seconds left in the game, with Samuel Montembeault on the bench in favor of one more striker.
The Canadiens goaltender stopped 30 shots.
“Samuel made some good saves,” said St-Louis. The game might have gone either way in the third period. »
The Bleu-Blanc-Rouge suffered a third defeat in four outings.
“The effort was there, just not the result,” said St-Louis. (By the end of the season), we’re not just going to count the days, we’re going to work. I expect us to fight every game. »
The Habs took the lead just 1:16 following the opening face-off. Josh Anderson made a cross pass to Mike Matheson, whose wrist shot slipped through Gibson’s pads. Drouin was in the right place to push the puck into the net.
“Any hockey player will say it, when there’s a zero in a column, you want to find a way to score a goal,” Drouin said. You try not to think regarding it too much, but you can’t avoid it. For me, I was only looking to play my game and I’m happy to be rewarded tonight. »
“We were all happy for him,” said Canadiens coach Martin St-Louis. He is very comfortable with the puck, he makes a lot of plays. »
The Ducks leveled at 4:20 in the first period. Maxime Comtois first put back in the slot. Johnathan Kovacevic only barely stopped the drive, then Megna took the opportunity to score his second goal of the campaign.
The CH only shot once during a penalty at Comtois, in the middle of the first third. In fact, the best chance of the streak went to Silfverberg, prowling at the left mouth.
In the last minute of the first third, Montembeault was valiant at the expense of Derek Grant.
CH’s Kaiden Guhle retired to the locker room shortly before the end of the first period, appearing to have a sore right shoulder. He was, however, back at the post to start the middle period.
In the eighth minute of the second period, Rem Pitlick of the Canadian and Trevor Zegras of the Ducks saw the opposing goalkeeper distinguish themselves at their expense, following dangerous shots.
Late in the engagement, the Montreal club served a tripping penalty on Drouin. Frank Vatrano still fired two solid one-timers from the left circle. Soon following, Sam Carrick was sent to jail following playing with a broken stick. Martin St-Louis’ men didn’t generate a real chance.
Troy Terry missed a great chance just in front of the net in the fourth minute of the third period.
Shortly following, Zegras was punished for a stick on Matheson. The latter touched the post during the advantage, as did Mike Hoffman. Then a burst of speed from newcomer Denis Gurianov provided a good shot for Suzuki, courtesy of a back pass.
The Habs will complete a four-game trip Sunday night in Las Vegas. The Ducks will play their next three games in Seattle, Vancouver and Calgary.
