The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday evening.
A very nice gesture from the club.
Once again, the Golden Knights are off to a terrific start.
Their 12-3-1 record places them tied for second in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks.
The Tricolore have lost their last two games, but they have no intention of letting Vegas intimidate them.
Here’s the CH line-up for this game.
Tonight’s lineup
Tonight’s lineup#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/BDI37MpAAp
– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) November 16, 2023
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The Habs definitely wanted to start strong in honor of Karl Tremblay, as they were very opportunistic in the first period.
Just over six minutes passed before Montreal got on the scoreboard.
Alex Newhook scored his first goal since October 17.
I didn’t know Newhook had such a good shot, but he convinced me with this major-league shot.
Enjoy this magnificent goal, which will clearly do #15 some good.
The power of the mustache
The power of the mustache#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/BwgVPRL2US
– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) November 17, 2023
Just three minutes into the game, the CH doubled their lead.
Defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic scored his first goal of the season.
He took notes on Newhook’s goal, as he unleashed a beautiful, precise shot.
Attaboy my Johnny
Johnny on the spot#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/QugM8f3v15
– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) November 17, 2023
With the score at 2-0, the two teams returned to the dressing room after the first period.
Nick Suzuki picked up an assist on each of his team’s two goals.
Captain Nick Suzuki with already 2 assists tonight 😌pic.twitter.com/TGtttNlp0e
– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) November 17, 2023
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Even though the CH had the advantage, Vegas dominated 16-5 in shots.
A lot happened in the second period.
First, with 2 minutes and 33 seconds elapsed, Brett Howden cut the lead to 2-1 with a shorthanded goal.
Five minutes later, Jesse Ylönen restored his team’s two-goal lead.
Catch me if you can 💨
Catch me if you can#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/dDxvaBAOqv
– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) November 17, 2023
The #72 did not return to the game.
Brayden McNabb scored his first goal of the season to reduce the deficit to one goal.
When I said there was a lot of action in this period, I wasn’t lying.
Jonathan Marchessault tied the game less than three minutes later. He now has 7 goals this season.
Barely 30 seconds after the Quebecer’s goal, Jesse Ylönen threaded the needle for the second time in the period to put the CH back in front.
Finally, Shea Theodore brought the score back to zero with less than four minutes to go in the second period.
After being outshot 16-5, the shot count was 11-10 for Vegas in the second period.
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The third period was once again hotly contested, with chances on both sides.
The third period was much less offensive, if the score is anything to go by, as there weren’t as many goals, except in the last two minutes.
We had to wait until the end of the third period to see another goal. Unfortunately, it was Vegas who capitalized on Jack Eichel’s goal.
Brendan Gallagher had just been given a four-minute penalty for hooking. The goal was scored in the first two minutes of the power play, with a further two minutes of shorthanded time remaining.
As fate would have it, Vegas scored his sixth goal of the game.
The Tricolore gave Vegas some hope late in the game with a Justin Barron goal with 53 seconds left in the final frame.
Justin Barron says hold on a second there folks. pic.twitter.com/sPskBiKg31
– Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) November 17, 2023
Despite a few good chances to tie the game, the CH couldn’t push it into overtime.
The final score is 6-5.
The Tricolore’s next game is on Saturday night, when they visit the Boston Bruins (12-1-2).
Overtime
– Cayden Primeau was sublime in this game, despite allowing six goals. He still received more than 40 shots. It’s a good thing he performed well, because several NHL scouts were present at the game.
Lots of pro scouts on the catwalk tonight… if they’re there to observe Cayden Primeau’s work, so far, they’ll have some very nice reports to give to their GM! 👀 #CH #Habs #Canadiens
– Marc-Olivier Beaudoin (@MOBeaudoin1) November 17, 2023
– Primeau made some great saves during the game and the score could have been much worse if he wasn’t there.