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Habs defeat Stars 4-3 in OT but lose Byron & Gallagher to injuries |
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For the fifth consecutive game the Montreal Canadiens needed overtime to decide their match as they defeated the Dallas Stars 4-3 in extra time to win their second game in a row. They now have a somewhat comfortable ten point lead in the Atlantic division but those points will likely come in handy as the victory came with a steep price. Paul Byron was injured late in the first period after taking a hard hit and Brendan Gallagher got dinged on his hand by a Shea Weber slap shot in the third period. Neither player was able to return to the game and in Michel Therrien’s post game comments he announced that Gallagher was returning to Montreal immediately to consult with the team’s doctors rather than travel with the team to Toronto. Byron’s condition is still unknown but it would not be surprising if he suffered a concussion.
Nathan Beaulieu opened the scoring for the Canadiens midway through the first period. Phillip Danault impressively controlled the puck in the Stars zone and made a terrific pass to Beaulieu who took advantage of Gallagher screening and distracting Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen as his wrist shot found the back of the net. Tyler Seguin tied the game up four minutes later when he perfectly tipped Stephen Johns shot from the point.
The Stars took the lead on the power play in the second period as John Klingberg took advantage of Tomas Plekanec being tied up in the face off circle to skate into open space and blast one by the screened Al Montoya.
In the third period, the Canadiens power play came alive as Alexander Radulov broke through two Stars and went backhand top shelf to tie the score at two apiece. Max Pacioretty scored again with the man advantage to give the Canadiens a 3-2 lead while Beaulieu earned the primary assist on both power play goals. Esa Lindell tied the game taking advantage of a Jeff Petry giveaway to send it overtime. Petry would atone for his error fairly quickly as he sent Max Pacioretty in on a breakaway, beating Lehkonen for his second goal of the game and nineteenth on the season at just 19 seconds in to give the Canadiens the 4-3 overtime win.
Puck props and flops:
Props:
Nathan Beaulieu - He recovered from a few poor decisions against the Nashville Predators to lead the Canadiens offensively against the Stars. By scoring his second goal of the season he tied his career high of just two and is six points back of the 19 that he recorded last season. Beaulieu has stepped up in Andrei Markov’s absence with five points in his last four games. It is not a coincidence that the Canadiens power play has much improved since he was promoted to the first unit alongside Shea Weber.
Max Pacioretty - With his second consecutive game winning overtime goal, Pacioretty became the Canadiens all-time leader in overtime goals with eight in his career. He now has six game winning goals on the season and is on quite the hot streak with 18 points in his last 15 games. So much for the rhetoric that Pacioretty does not step up when the going gets tough or cannot score big goals. He has elevated his play since Alex Galchenyuk and company have all gotten injured, leading the Canadiens on and off the ice. He has obviously learned a great deal from the Canadiens past tumultuous season and was much better prepared to face adversity this time around. Pacioretty has silenced his critics who said that he did not deserve to wear the ‘C’. He commands the respect of his teammates on and off the ice. It is time that everyone else follows suit.
Alexander Radulov - It would be unfathomable to imagine where the Canadiens would be this season without Radulov in the lineup. He has had such a positive impact on the team, not just in scoring but in keeping things light all while bringing his commitment, wealth of skill and experience to the table. Radulov is on a five game point streak with six in that time. With nine power play points he is just two shy of his career which he recorded in his rookie season.
Phillip Danault - With 18 points in 39 games, Danault has proved to be the essential piece in the trade last February that sent Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann to the Chicago Blackhawks in return for Danault and a second round draft pick. At the time, many Blackhawks fans we're disappointed to see Danault leave before reaching his potential. The Blackhawks loss has clearly been the Canadiens gain as Danault has gone from the fourth line to start the season to becoming an integral part of the team, stepping up above and beyond expectations as he has become the team’s de facto first line center. At just 23 years old, Danault is just starting to scratch the surface in the NHL…
Flops:
Injuries - It was inconceivable that the Canadiens would lose two players from their top six in the same game. Gallagher had seemingly just gotten his swagger and game back only to have the misfortune of his hand getting in the way of Weber’s 97.5 miles per hour slap shot. The way that he threw his gloves and helmet off suggest that he knows that this is a serious injury, his frustration clearly boiling over. Byron has become such an important part of the team with his ability to step up and play in any and all situations. His loss will also be felt on the already weak penalty kill. The Canadiens had five players in their lineup against the Stars who have played for their AHL affiliate St. John’s Ice Caps. The likelihood is that they will have another two in against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night. I would expect Sven Andrighetto and Jacob de la Rose to get the call.
Brian Flynn - It was a rough night for Flynn as he went 0 for 5 in the face off circle and was a minus two on the night. He has formed little if any chemistry with a plekanec and Artturi Lehkonen while Daniel Carr and Michael McCarron (who had 7 hits against the Stars!) continue to outperform him. If the Canadiens were not already so depleted, would he still be in the lineup?
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Noah Juulsen likely played his best game of the tournament for team Canada in their semi-final victory over Sweden yesterday. His physical and rock solid presence helped Canada preserve the lead. Juulsen’s strong play demonstrated why he should not have been the last cut of 2016’s team as they were sorely lacking a defensive defenseman who knows how to shut down their opponent's best players. He plays for gold tonight against the USA while fellow prospect Michael Sergachev will go for bronze against Sweden in the afternoon.
Cheers and follow along!
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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