Center David Desharnais’ goal stood as the victor as the Montreal Canadiens beat the NY Islanders 4-1 on Thursday night at the Bell Centre.
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“The three penalties-we don’t agree with it, and I’m sure if [the officials] had a chance to review their calls they would be different”. “Stupid penalty. Two minutes left, tie game”.
But I wonder how long it is before both of these guys draw into the lineup at once in favor of a player like Kevan Miller? Our discipline cost us the game tonight. Jonas Gustavsson was visibly angry with the play and Claude Julien promptly challenged the play citing goaltender interference.
“We felt like [Galchenyuk] was missing the net way too often, and he was canceling out second-chance opportunities by doing so” said coach Michel Therrien in French after the game. “The disappointing part is it’s coming from our leaders”. “I’m going to the net-you know I’m obviously skating fast-if I stop there I either spray the goalie or hit the goalie”. “I thought we had a good game plan and we played a good hockey team really well”.
The Boston Bruins lost the last five games against the Montreal Canadiens and had only won once in the previous 11 games versus the Canadiens before once again losing to them 4-2.
Dale Weise and Tomas Plekanec also scored for Montreal.
The Bruins had gone up on a Loui Eriksson deflection of a Patrice Bergeron shot at 1:50 of the first, yet another power-play goal for the first unit. And now Vatrano has seen firsthand what a lack of discipline can do to a team with little margin for error because of its talent gap on the penalty kill and in the defense corps.
“Things happen in a game and you just have to stick with it”, Desharnais said.
“Those young guys, they care a lot and they’re doing everything they can”, Capuano said.
Plekanec tied it at 1:09 of the second period on the power play.
Replays showed that Gustavsson had a point; Brendan Gallagher came over the top of the Boston goalie, meaning the small Habs winger was essentially on top of Gustavsson and prevented him from moving in an attempt to stop Plekanec’s shot. Gallagher found Plekanec uncovered inside the right circle, at the hash marks, and the center fired it far side on Gustavsson for his seventh of the season.
Vatrano put the Bruins ahead at 8:51. NY actually has been held to two tallies or fewer in each of its last four contests. That set up the Bruins’ league-worst penalty kill to give the game to the Canadiens.
“There’s nothing you can do”, Plekanec said of the overturned call.
Eller’s fifth of the season evened things up at 8:58. Boston went for the extra attacker in the final minute but the Montreal captain ended Boston’s hopes scoring on the empty net to notch his eighth. Now, the Montreal Canadiens may be without their star for the foreseeable future after Price suffered a lower-body injury. Boston scratched RW Tyler Randell and D Joe Morrow….
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Subban will reserve a limited quantity of his No. 76 Winter Classic jerseys and personally sign them for fans at the Montreal’s Children’s Hospital on November 29, with all proceeds to benefit the hospital. It seems likely he’ll rejoin the team for Wednesday’s fathers-and-sons game in Pittsburgh, returning Tokarski to the farm after his four games at the end of the bench.
