The Montreal Canadiens played a nearly perfect road game as they defeated the New York Rangers 3-1 at Madison Square Garden to take a 2-1 series lead. From the moment the Canadiens scored with just under 18 seconds left in game two to tie the game and send it into overtime, the team has taken control of the series and outplayed the Rangers. Coming back to the Garden one would have thought that the Rangers would have come out harder in game three. Especially Chris Kreider who was called out by his coach Alain Vigneault for being just “okay…. Yet after forty minutes of play the Rangers had just 12 shots on Carey Price as the Canadiens limited their chances, especially when the Rangers enjoyed two powerplays in the first period.
Once again, the little tweaks that head coach Claude Julien made were spot on as each move paid off. Alex Galchenyuk had a successful return to center, winning six of nine faceoffs playing between Artturi Lehkonen and Andrew Shaw. Julien also promoted Galchenyuk back up to the first powerplay unit alongside Alexander Radulov and Max Pacioretty and it was his patience that led to finding an open Shea Weber who one timed the puck past Henrik Lundqvist on what would become the game winning goal. Also on the powerplay, Julien continued to reward Tomas Plekanec who centered the second unit between Brendan Gallagher and Artturi Lehkonen. His faceoff win started a clinic of perfect passing which lead to Lehkonen firing the puck past Lundqvist for his first NHL playoff goal and to open the scoring.
On defense Brandon Davidson came in for Nikita Nesterov and while he was unspectacular, that is a good thing as he was steady and made no glaring mistakes in his 9:06 minutes of ice time. Meanwhile Dwight King dropped to the fourth line and had a better game dishing out five hits in a more limited role. Torrey Mitchell made a successful playoff debut as he replaced Andreas Martinsen in the lineup and his veteran experience came in handy as he was on the ice late to help protect the lead. It is hard to imagine that Julien would make any changes for game four when this lineup played well from top to bottom.
Puck props and flops:
Props:
Alexander Radulov - Since he took two minor penalties in game 2, Radulov has played like a man on a mission. You just don't want to get in his way. The way that he digs for the puck and keeps control of is equally impressive to unreal. He does not look like the biggest or strongest player on the ice. But just try to take the puck of his stick, he dares you to. Nothing exemplifies him more than what just may be the playoff goal of the year:
Absolutely ridiculous goal from Radulov pic.twitter.com/a1tAy6Qc9i
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) April 17, 2017
Artturi Lehkonen - He is turning out to be the Canadiens best second round draft pick since P.K. Subban was drafted in 2007. Lehkonen was taken 55th overall in 2013 and his impact almost four years later has been quite impressive. He has a lethal shot but is not afraid to go into the dirty areas and chase the puck. His maturity and hockey sense are well beyond his years. An absolute pleasure to watch and he is only going to continue to improve.
Shea Weber - This is the Weber that Habs fans have been waiting for ever since his arrival in Montreal. He is absolutely dominant whenever he is on the ice. Weber keeps Carey Price’s crease clear, lays out the body, protects his teammates and contributes offensively with the NHL’s hardest shot. He has been eating up minutes, playing nearly 30 in game three but has not looked tired for a second.
Brendan Gallagher - He may not of scored yet in this series but he is back to playing his game on a consistent basis for the first time in a long time. He's aggressive chasing down pucks and is in the middle of everything, drawing attention and constantly frustrating the Rangers with his goofy smile. He has two assists so far and they have both been perfect primary passes, first to Paul Byron in game two and then Lehkonen in game three. His chemistry with Plekanec and Byron shows as they have been excellent throughout the series.
Jordie Benn - Has there been another trade deadline move that has paid off as well as the Canadiens acquisition of Benn? First he came in and helped stabilize Nathan Beaulieu on the bottom pairing. Now he has had the same effect on Jeff Petry as the latter is playing his best hockey since the first third of the season. Benn has also been able to take the pressure off of Andrei Markov by playing on the first penalty kill unit with Weber. He's not flashy, just solid. Something the Canadiens were lacking.
Carey Price - Nearly earned a shutout until Brady Skjei spoiled it with less than three minutes to play. It was likely his easiest night thus far in the playoffs as he only faced 21 shots on net, five of which came with the Rangers pressuring in the last few minutes of the game. However, he's made the saves that he's needed to make. Chances are the Canadiens are going to have to count on him a little more come game four.
Henrik Lundqvist - One has to feel for Lundqvist who has been the best Rangers player by far. If it were not for him the score would have been far more lopsided. He has a .941 save percentage, goals against average of 2.16 while stopping 111 of 118 shots. These numbers are stats of usually the winning goaltender.
Flops:
On the Canadiens side, none. However, Andrei Markov played 25:48 minutes in game three and nearly 34 minutes in game two. The Rangers were physical and on him all night long. Will his minutes need to be a little more monitored?
Game four takes place on Tuesday in New York.
Cheers and follow along! http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Jennifer-B-Cutler/Julien-tweaks-his-lineup-as-the-Habs-visit-NYR-for-game-3/220/84575