After a brief break in the coverage, today we’re going to take a look at the last two weeks worth of games in Montreal Canadiens hockey.
It has not been a good time in Montreal and the fans in the arena, and elsewhere, are starting to show the displeasure in the product on the ice. However, with all of the losses Montreal has taken on in the offseason and thus far in the season, there is no shocker as to why the Montreal Canadiens are one of the worst teams this season.
With all of that being said, let’s get in to the recaps.
Tuesday, November 9th, 2021: Los Angeles Kings at Montreal Canadiens
TXHT Game Recap: In Montreal the Canadiens would host the Los Angeles Kings, and in the first period Ben Chiarot would score to give the Habs the 1-0 lead. In the second period Brendan Lemieux would score his first of the season to tie the game at one. Then in the third period Alex Iaffalo would score six seconds into the period to give the Kings the 2-1 lead, but Jake Evans would score to tie the game at two. In overtime Adrian Kempe would score to give the Kings the 3-2 victory over the Canadiens.
Period by Period Summary
| 1st Period | ||||
| 5:45 | MTL Penalty | Jake Evans | Tripping | 2 min |
| 15:03 | MTL Goal | Ben Chiarot (3) | Assisted by | Artturi Lehkonen (2) |
| 17:51 | LAK Penalty | Tobias Bjornfot | Delay of Game | 2 min |
| 2nd Period | ||||
| 2:50 | MTL Penalty | Michael Pezzetta | Tripping | 2 min |
| 4:56 | LAK Goal | Assisted by | Brendan Lemieux (1) | Tobias Bjornfot (3), Blake Lizotte (2) |
| 15:05 | MTL Penalty | Ben Chiarot | Hooking | 2 min |
| 3rd Period | ||||
| 0:06 | LAK Goal | Alex Iafallo (6) | Assisted by | Unassisted |
| 5:20 | LAK Penalty | Brendan Lemieux | Unsportsmanlike Conduct | 2 min |
| 5:20 | MTL Penalty | Michael Pezzetta | Cross Checking | 2 min |
| 7:42 | MTL Penalty | Michael Pezzetta | Unsportsmanlike Conduct | 2 min |
| 10:34 | LAK Penalty | Michael Anderson | High Sticking | 2 min |
| 13:22 | MTL Goal | Jake Evans (2) | Assisted by | Artturi Lehkonen (3), Brett Kulak (4) |
| 17:48 | LAK Penalty | Phillip Danault | Holding | 2 min |
| Overtime | ||||
| 3:39 | LAK Goal | Goal | Adrian Kempe (5) | Andreas Athanasiou (3), Kale Clague (4) |
Period by Period Statistical Summary
| 1st Period Stats | LAK – 0 | MTL – 1 |
| Faceoffs | 11 | 9 |
| Power Play | 0/1 | 0/1 |
| Shots | 8 | 13 |
| Hits | 3 | 14 |
| 2nd Period | LAK – 1 | MTL – 1 |
| Faceoffs | 20 | 17 |
| Power Play | 0/3 | 0/1 |
| Shots | 25 | 18 |
| Hits | 8 | 25 |
| 3rd Period | LAK – 2 | MTL – 2 |
| Faceoffs | 30 | 31 |
| Power Play | 0/4 | 0/3 |
| Shots | 32 | 31 |
| Hits | 15 | 33 |
| Overtime | LAK – 3 | MTL – 2 |
| Faceoffs | 32 | 33 |
| Power Play | 0/4 | 0/3 |
| Shots | 34 | 35 |
| Hits | 16 | 33 |
Things to focus on in the next contest: Clean up the power play. Nothing else can really go wrong right now with how depleted the roster is.
Next Contest: Thursday, November 11 vs. Calgary Flames
Thursday, November 11, 2021: Calgary Flames at Montreal Canadiens
TXHT Game Recap: In Montreal the Canadiens would host the Calgary Flames, and two minutes into the game Mikael Backlund would score to give the Flames the quick 1-0 lead. However, Ben Chiarot would score to tie the game at one, but Andrew Mangiapane would strike to retake the one goal lead for the Flames. In the second period Brendan Gallagher would score to tie the game at two. Then in the third period Nick Suzuki and Jake Evans would score to give the Canadiens the 4-2 victory over the Flames.
Period by Period Summary
| 1st Period | |||||
| CGY Goal | Mikael Backlund (3) | Assisted by | Trevor Lewis (2) | Oliver Kylington (7) | 02:02 |
| MTL Goal | Ben Chiarot (4) | Assisted by | Tyler Toffoli (5) | Nick Suzuki (10) | 09:26 |
| CGY Goal | Andrew Mangiapane (9) | Assisted by | Sean Monahan (4) | Blake Coleman (2) | 16:22 |
| 2nd Period | |||||
| CGY Penalty | Too Many Men | Served by | Matthew Tkachuk | 2 min minor | 00:42 |
| CGY Penalty | Blake Coleman | for | Holding | 2 min minor | 10:23 |
| CGY Penalty | Erik Gudbranson | for | Roughing | 2 min minor | 11:24 |
| MTL Penalty | Tyler Toffoli | for | Roughing | 2 min minor | 11:24 |
| MTL PP Goal | Brendan Gallagher (3) | Assisted by | Chris Wideman (2) | Mike Hoffman (2) | 11:24 |
| MTL Penalty | Michael Pezzrtta | for | Roughing | 2 min minor | 14:47 |
| CGY Penalty | Rasmus Anderson | for | Holdting the Stick | 2 min minor | 19:06 |
| 3rd Period | |||||
| CGY Penalty | Erik Gudbranson | for | High Sticking | 2 min minor | 8:36 |
| MTL Penalty | Brendan Gallagher | for | Hooking | 2 min minor | 09:42 |
| CGY Penalty | Andrew Mangiapane | for | Interference | 2 min minor | 10:27 |
| MTL PP Goal | Nick Suzuki (4) | Assisted by | Mike Hoffman (3) | 12:08 | |
| MTL EN Goal | Jake Evans (3) | Assisted by | Brendan Gallagher (4) | Tyler Toffoli (6) | 19:53 |
Period by Period Statistical Summary
| 1st Period Stats | CGY – 2 | MTL – 1 |
| Faceoffs | 5 | 8 |
| Power Play | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| Shots | 10 | 10 |
| Hits | 8 | 17 |
| 2nd Period Stats | CGY – 2 | MTL – 2 | |
| Faceoffs | 15 | 21 | |
| Power Play | 0/1 | 0/3* | *1:06 left on PP |
| Shots | 20 | 20 | |
| Hits | 27 | 22 |
| 3rd Period Stats | CGY – 2 | MTL – 4 |
| Faceoffs | 25 | 29 |
| Power Play | 0/1 | 2/5 |
| Shots | 26 | 28 |
| Hits | 30 | 29 |
Things to focus on in the next contest: Play exactly like this into the next contest
Next Contest: Saturday, November 13th at Detroit Red Wings
Saturday, November 13th, 2021: Montreal Canadiens at Detroit Red Wings
TXHT Game Recap: In Detroit the Red Wings would host their Original Six counterpart Montreal Canadiens, and in the first period Ryan Poehling would strike to give the Habs the 1-0 lead. In the second period Dylan Larkin and Pius Suter would score to give the Wings the 2-1 lead. Then in the third period Chris Wideman would score to tie the game for the Habs and send the game to overtime. In the extra frame Larkin would net his second of the game to give the Red Wings the 3-2 victory.
Period by Period Summary
| 1st Period | |||||
| MTL Penalty | Ben Chiarot | for | Interference | 2 min minor | 1:37 |
| MTL Goal | Ryan Poehling (1) | Assisted by | Michael Pezzetta (1) | Chris Wideman (3) | 4:39 |
| MTL Penalty | Michael Pezzetta | for | Hooking | 2 min minor | 14:52 |
| DET Penalty | Moritz Seider | for | Roughing | 2 min minor | 18:11 |
| MTL Penalty | Michael Pezzetta | for | Roughing | 2 min minor | 18:11 |
| DET Penalty | Tyler Bertuzzi | for | Slashing | 2 min minor | 19:12 |
| 2nd Period | |||||
| DET Goal | Dylan Larkin (5) | Assisted by | Filip Hronek (7) | Tyler Bertuzzi (7) | 2:36 |
| DET Goal | Pius Suter (4) | Assisted by | Robby Fabbri (4) | Moritz Seider (10) | 3:21 |
| DET Penalty | Nick Leddy | for | Holding | 2 min minor | 5:03 |
| 3rd Period | |||||
| MTL Goal | Chris Wideman (2) | Assisted by | Artturi Lehkonen (4) | Joel Armia (2) | 2:33 |
| Overtime | |||||
| DET Goal | Dylan Larkin (6) | Assisted by | Lucas Raymond (9) | 1:41 |
Period by Period Statistical Summary
| 1st Period Stats | MTL – 1 | DET – 0 | |
| Faceoffs | 12 | 8 | |
| Power Play | 0/1* | 0/2 | * 1:12 on PP |
| Shots | 9 | 8 | |
| Hits | 10 | 5 |
| 2nd Period Stats | MTL – 1 | DET – 2 |
| Faceoffs | 20 | 18 |
| Power Play | 0/3 | 0/2 |
| Shots | 22 | 22 |
| Hits | 19 | 13 |
| 3rd Period Stats | MTL – 1 | DET – 0 |
| Faceoffs | 35 | 31 |
| Power Play | 0/3 | 0/2 |
| Shots | 36 | 32 |
| Hits | 24 | 21 |
| OT Period Stats | MTL – 2 | DET – 3 |
| Faceoffs | 36 | 31 |
| Power Play | 0/3 | 0/2 |
| Shots | 37 | 33 |
| Hits | 25 | 22 |
Things to focus on in the next contest: Clean up the sloppiness on puck turnovers.
Next Contest: November 14th, 2021 at Boston Bruins
Sunday, November 14th, 2021: Montreal Canadiens at Boston Bruins
TXHT Game Recap: In an Original Six battle, the Boston Bruins would play host to the Montreal Canadiens, and in the first period Joel Armia would strike to give the Habs the 1-0 lead. In the second period Charlie McAvoy would score for the Bruins to tie the game at one, but Michael Pezzetta would score to give the Habs the one goal lead back. Then in the third period the Bs would explode for four goals as McAvoy would net his second of the game, Charlie Coyle would net a pair of goals, and Taylor Hall would score to give the Bruins the 5-2 victory over the Canadiens.
Period by Period Summary
| 1st Period | |||||
| MTL Penalty | Josh Anderson | for | Cross Checking | 2 min minor | 3:20 |
| MTL Goal | Joel Armia (1) | Assisted by | Artturi Lehkonen (5) | 8:09 | |
| MTL Penalty | Jake Evans | for | Tripping | 2 min minor | 15:35 |
| MTL Penalty | Brendan Gallagher | for | Slashing | 2 min minor | 18:23 |
| BOS Penalty | Brad Marchand | for | Tripping | 2 min minor | 18:59 |
| 2nd Period | |||||
| BOS Goal | Charlie McAvoy (2) | Assisted by | Taylor Hall (5) | Jakub Zboril (1) | 8:27 |
| MTL Goal | Michael Pezzeta (1) | Assisted by | Adam Brooks (1) | Josh Anderson (4) | 16:25 |
| 3rd Period | |||||
| MTL Penalty | Jeff Petry | for | Holding | 2 min minor | 1:25 |
| BOS PP Goal | Charlie McAvoy (3) | Assisted by | Brad Marchand (11) | 2:14 | |
| BOS Goal | Charlie Coyle (4) | Unassisted goal | 5:58 | ||
| BOS Goal | Charlie Coyle (5) | Assisted by | Jake DeBrusk (1) | Oskar Steen (2) | 9:05 |
| MTL Penalty | Chris Wideman | for | Misconduct | 10 min | 18:02 |
| BOS EN Goal | Taylor Hall (4) | Assisted by | David Pastrnak (9) | Brandon Carlo (1) | 18:02 |
Period by Period Statistical Summary
| 1st Period Stats | MTL – 1 | BOS – 0 | |
| Faceoffs | 8 | 8 | |
| Power Play | 0/1* | 0/3 | *:36 left after 4 on 4; :23 left on 4-on-4 |
| Shots | 12 | 11 | |
| Hits | 12 | 10 |
| 2nd Period Stats | MTL – 2 | BOS – 1 |
| Faceoffs | 21 | 17 |
| Power Play | 0/1 | 0/3 |
| Shots | 22 | 31 |
| Hits | 23 | 23 |
| 3rd Period Stats | MTL – 2 | BOS – 5 |
| Faceoffs | 29 | 24 |
| Power Play | 0/1 | 1/4 |
| Shots | 29 | 41 |
| Hits | 29 | 31 |
Things to focus on in the next contest: Phew. Clean everything up. Go back to the drawing board because this was a sloppy one.
Next Contest: Tuesday, November 16th at New York Rangers
Tuesday, November 16th, 2021: Montreal Canadiens at New York Rangers
TXHT Game Recap: At Madison Square Garden the New York Rangers would host the Montreal Canadiens in an Original Six matchup, and in the first period Kaapo Kakko would score to give the Rangers the 1-0 lead. In the second period Christian Dvorak would score for the Habs, but Chris Kreider would score to get the Rangers back in the lead. Then in the third period Julien Gauthier would score to grow the Rangers lead to two, but Josh Anderson would strike to bring the Habs back within one, but the Rangers would hold on for the 3-2 victory over the Canadiens.
Period by Period Summary
| 1st Period | |||||
| NYR Penalty | Barclay Goodrow | for | Cross-checking | 2 min minor | 8:30 |
| MTL Penalty | Chris Wideman | for | Interference | 2 min minor | 8:51 |
| NYR Goal | Kaapo Kakko (2) | Assisted by | Artemi Panarin (12) | Dylan Strome (7) | 15:46 |
| 2nd Period | |||||
| MTL Goal | Christian Dvorak (2) | Assisted by | Brendan Gallagher (5) | Brett Kulak (5) | 2:17 |
| MTL Penalty | Michael Pezzetta | for | Fighting | 5 min major | 3:22 |
| NYR Penalty | Ryan Reaves | for | Fighting | 5 min major | 3:22 |
| NYR Goal | Chris Krieder (12) | Assisted by | Mika Zibanejad (10) | 3:50 | |
| NYR Penalty | K’Andre Miller | for | Tripping | 2 min minor | 6:53 |
| 3rd Period | |||||
| NYR Goal | Julien Gauthier (1) | Unassisted | 1:56 | ||
| MTL Goal | Josh Anderson (4) | Assisted by | Christian Dvorak (5) | Chris Wideman (4) | 2:18 |
| MTL Penalty | Chris Wideman | for | Tripping | 2 min minor | 12:14 |
| MTL Penalty | Brendan Gallagher | for | Misconduct | 10 min (misconduct) | 19:32 |
| MTL Penalty | Brendan Gallagher | for | Roughing (served by Barclay Goodrow) | 2 min minor | 19:32 |
| NYR Penalty | Jacob Trouba | for | Fighting | 5 min major | 20:00 |
| MTL Penalty | Josh Anderson | for | Fighting | 5 min major | 20:00 |
Period by Period Statistical Summary
| 1st Period Stats | MTL – 0 | NYR – 1 |
| Faceoffs | 8 | 8 |
| Power Play | 0/1 | 0/1 |
| Shots | 12 | 17 |
| Hits | 11 | 7 |
| 2nd Period Stats | MTL – 1 | NYR – 2 |
| Faceoffs | 20 | 14 |
| Power Play | 0/2 | 0/1 |
| Shots | 21 | 26 |
| Hits | 16 | 16 |
| 3rd Period Stats | MTL – 2 | NYR – 3 |
| Faceoffs | 27 | 26 |
| Power Play | 0/2 | 0/3 |
| Shots | 33 | 34 |
| Hits | 27 | 23 |
Things to focus on in the next contest: Clean a couple of things up on the defencive side of the puck and things should be fine
Next Contest: Thursday, November 18th v. Pittsburgh Penguins
Thursday, November 18th, 2021: Pittsburgh Penguins at Montreal Canadiens
TXHT Game Recap: In Montreal the Canadiens would host the Pittsburgh Penguins, and in the first period Sidney Crosby, Danton Heinen, and Jake Guentzel would score to give the Pens the 3-0 lead. In the second period Teddy Blueger and Brock McGinn would score to grow the Pens lead to five. Then in the third period Blueger would net his second of the game to give the Penguins the 6-0 victory over the Canadiens.
Period by Period Summary
| 1st Period | |||||
| PIT Goal | Sidney Crosby (1) | Assisted by | Jake Guentzel (7_) | Bryan Rust (5) | 3:36 |
| PIT Penalty | Bryan Rust | for | Tripping | 2 min minor | 4:06 |
| MTL Penalty | Joel Armia | for | Hi-sticking | 2 min minor | 10:38 |
| PIT PP Goal | Danton Heinen (5) | Assisted by | John Marino (6) | Kasperi Kapanaen (6) | 12:38 |
| PIT Goal | Jake Guentzel (6) | Assisted by | Bryan Rust (6) | Kris Letang (9) | 19:13 |
| 2nd Period | |||||
| PIT Goal | Teddy Blueger (4) | Assisted by | Zach Aston-Reese (4) | 13:49 | |
| PIT Goal | Brock McGinn (4) | Assisted by | Mike Matheson (6) | Teddy Blueger (2) | 16:12 |
| 3rd Period | |||||
| PIT Goal | Teddy Blueger (5) | Assisted by | Zach Aston-Reese (5) | John Marino (7) | 19:49 |
Period by Period Statistical Summary
| 1st Period Stats | PIT – 3 | MTL – 0 |
| Faceoffs | 12 | 10 |
| Power Play | 1/1 | 0/1 |
| Shots | 15 | 5 |
| Hits | 7 | 12 |
| 2nd Period Stats | PIT – 5 | MTL – 0 |
| Faceoffs | 16 | 15 |
| Power Play | 1/1 | 0/1 |
| Shots | 30 | 14 |
| Hits | 9 | 21 |
| 3rd Period Stats | PIT – 6 | MTL – 0 |
| Faceoffs | 22 | 18 |
| Power Play | 1/1 | 0/1 |
| Shots | 43 | 24 |
| Hits | 12 | 29 |
Things to focus on in the next contest: Is there an option to do a complete re-do on the season? Nothing went right here at all. Montreal looked completely gassed from start to finish.
Next Contest: Saturday, November 20th v. Nashville Predators
Saturday, November 20th, 2021: Nashville Predators at Montreal Canadiens
Game Recap: In Montreal, the Canadiens look to stop the bleeding and get back on track with a win over the Nashville Predators. The scoring here gets underway when Montreal’s Artturi Lehkonen scores his first goal of the season at 2:41. The defence on both sides, as well as the offence, is quite strong between both Montreal and Nashville.
In the second period, Montreal makes it a 2-0 lead after Christian Dvorak scores his third goal of the season at 1:06. Nashville is then whistled for the first penalty of the contest when Mathieu Oliver is shown the box for Tripping at 3:23. Nine seconds later, Montreal strikes for the power play goal when Brendan Gallagher gets his fourth of the year. At 9:31, Ryan Poehling gets his second of the year to give the Habs the 4-0 lead and then at 10:08 Poehling strikes again to give Montreal the 5-0 lead. Later at 12:52, Nashville’s Ryan Johansen goes to the box for a Delay of Game when he played the Puck over the Glass. Fireworks ensue at 18:56 when Mathieu Oliver and Josh Anderson are shown the box after a Fighting major followed by Nashville’s Mark Borowiecki and Montreal’s Christian Dvorak getting matching Roughing and Misconduct penalties.
In the third period, Montreal’s Tyler Toffoli is whistled with a Hooking penalty at 6:07. Nashville then gets on the board when Matt Duchene scores the power play goal, his 10th on the year at 6:36. The Predators then come within three after Duchene gets another power play goal at 12:53 after Artturi Lehkonen is given a Holding penalty just eight seconds before. Montreal then is on the penalty kill once more when Ben Chiarot, when the replay clearly shows it was Jeff Petry, is whistled for Roughing at 13:14. Nashville makes it a 5-3 Montreal lead when Duchene completes the hat trick, good for his 12th on the year, at 16:27. Montreal then gets the insurance goal when Toffoli gets his fourth of the year as the Canadiens get the much needed win over the Nashville Predators 6-3.
Period by Period Summary
| 1st Period | |||||
| MTL Goal | Artturi Lehkonen (1) | Assisted by | David Savard (4) | Jake Evans (1) | 2:41 |
| 2nd Period | |||||
| MTL Goal | Christian Dvorak (3) | Assisted by | Josh Anderson (5) | Jonathan Drouin (6) | 1:06 |
| NSH Penalty | Mathieu Oliver | for | Tripping | 2 min minor | 3:23 |
| MTL PP Goal | Brendan Gallagher (4) | Assisted by | Jonathan Drouin (7) | Tyler Toffoli (7) | 3:32 |
| MTL Goal | Ryan Poehling (2) | Assisted by | Chris Wideman (5) | Artturi Lehkonen (6) | 9:31 |
| MTL Goal | Ryan Poehling (3) | Assisted by | Tyler Toffoli (8) | Chris Wideman (6) | 10:08 |
| NSH Penalty | Ryan Johansen | for | Delay of Game – Puck over Glass | 2 min minor | 12:52 |
| NSH Penalty | Mathieu Oliver | for | Fighting | 5 min major | 18:56 |
| MTL Penalty | Josh Anderson | for | Fighting | 5 min major | 18:56 |
| NSH Penalty | Mark Borowiecki | for | Roughing | 2 min minor | 18:56 |
| NSH Penalty | Mark Borowiecki | Misconduct | 10 min | 18:56 | |
| MTL Penalty | Christian Dvorak | for | Roughing | 2 min minor | 18:56 |
| MTL Penalty | Christain Dvorak | Misconduct | 10 min | 18:56 | |
| 3rd Period | |||||
| MTL Penalty | Tyler Toffoli | for | Hooking | 2 min minor | 6:07 |
| NSH PP Goal | Matt Duchene (10) | Assisted by | Roman Josi (11) | Ryan Johansen (5) | 6:36 |
| MTL Penalty | Artturi Lehkonen | for | Holding | 2 min minor | 12:45 |
| NSH Goal | Matt Duchene (11) | Assisted by | Mikael Granlund (14) | Eeli Tolvanen (4) | 12:53 |
| MTL Penalty | Ben Chiarot | for | Roughing | 2 min minor | 13:14 |
| NSH Goal | Matt Duchene (12) | Assisted by | Ryan Johansen (6) | Mikael Granlund (15) | 16:27 |
| MTL EN Goal | Tyler Toffoli (4) | Assisted by | Joel Armia (3) | 18:30 |
Period by Period Statistical Summary
| 1st Period Stats | NSH – 0 | MTL – 1 |
| Faceoffs | 6 | 13 |
| Power Play | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| Shots | 15 | 9 |
| Hits | 19 | 14 |
| 2nd Period Stats | NSH – 0 | MTL – 5 |
| Faceoffs | 17 | 24 |
| Power Play | 0/1 | 1/2 |
| Shots | 26 | 22 |
| Hits | 32 | 21 |
| 3rd Period Stats | NSH – 3 | MTL – 6 |
| Faceoffs | 29 | 39 |
| Power Play | 2/3 | 1/2 |
| Shots | 36 | 29 |
| Hits | 37 | 22 |
Things to focus on in the next contest: If there is a five goal lead, protect the net and play better on defence. Also, clean up the penalty kill. Two of Nashville’s goals came on the PK and the Habs have one of the worst penalty kills not only at home but in all of the NHL. Clean that up, and things will go a bit better.
Next Contest: Wednesday, November 24th at Washington Capitals
Upcoming Weekly Contests
Wednesday, November 24th, 2021: Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals
Friday, November 26th, 2021: Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres
Saturday, November 27th, 2021: Montreal Canadiens at Pittsburgh Penguins
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