Canadiens falter in third interval in opposition to Panthers

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The Florida Panthers, who superior to the Stanley Cup remaining final season earlier than shedding to Vegas, had been sitting round in Montreal since late Tuesday night.

The Canadiens, in the meantime, concluded a five-game street journey Wednesday evening with a victory at Columbus and had been pressured to play the Panthers on 24 hours’ discover.

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Little surprise Montreal was drubbed 5-1 Thursday evening on the Bell Centre. However the Panthers’ margin of victory was deceptive, based on Brendan Gallagher. Certainly, the Canadiens had been solely trailing by a objective by means of two intervals earlier than the floodgates opened over the ultimate 20 minutes.

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“To be trustworthy, by means of 40 minutes I assumed we had been the higher staff,” Gallagher stated. “We didn’t have a lead. Clearly they rating a fast objective to begin the (third) interval. We’re chasing a bit of bit. Nevertheless it wasn’t a kind of video games. We misplaced to L.A. and acquired outplayed. We misplaced to Boston and acquired outplayed. We didn’t get outplayed tonight. They had been in all probability extra opportunistic.

“They acquired the win however I feel, extra occasions than not, if we play like that we’re in all probability on the opposite facet of the end result.”

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Aleksander Barkov opened the scoring seven minutes into the second interval. It was Barkov’s twenty third objective in 32 video games in opposition to the Canadiens.

Within the third interval, the guests scored 4 targets on solely 11 pictures in opposition to beleaguered netminder Cayden Primeau.

The floodgates opened early when Sam Bennett made it 2-0 solely eight seconds in. Evan Rodrigues, Carter Verhaeghe, on the facility play, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, with 11 seconds remaining within the third interval, scored Florida’s different targets. The Panthers virtually scored a fifth time in that fateful interval however, following a video evaluation, it was decided Sam Reinhart’s excessive shot struck the crossbar and never the netting in behind Primeau.

Nonetheless, all 5 targets beat Primeau to his glove facet in an train that was turning into painful to witness. Primeau was making his fifth look this season and was enjoying for the primary time since stopping 31 of 33 pictures in a 3-2 shootout victory at San Jose final Friday.

However he stopped solely 24 of 29 pictures in opposition to the Panthers for a less-than-flattering .828 save proportion.

Not solely isn’t this three-man goaltender rotation working for the Canadiens, it’s not honest to Samuel Montembeault and Jake Allen, who must play extra commonly. Montreal administration clearly is anxious about exposing Primeau on waivers earlier than sending him to its AHL affiliate in Laval, however it is likely to be time to roll the cube. Whereas Primeau solely is 24 and it takes some goalies longer to develop, there’s additionally a purpose he was chosen 199th general in 2017.

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In 26 profession video games, together with 22 begins, the 6-foot-3, 207-pounder has a 5-15-2 document, 4.02 goals-against common and .875 save proportion.

“I feel I’ve performed a superb job all 12 months of not second-guessing myself,” stated the soft-spoken Primeau. “They acquired two in the identical spot and that performed in my head a bit of bit. Not perfect however you possibly can study from it.

“I’ve felt like my glove has been fairly good this 12 months. It simply performed in my head a bit of bit and that may’t occur. You begin doing issues a bit of otherwise. You may’t do this. While you begin second-guessing your self, issues can go south fairly fast. Objectives go in. You might be doing all the best issues and so they nonetheless rating in the identical spot. I’m going to should regroup.”

Defenceman Johnathan Kovacevic scored Montreal’s solely objective, practically midway by means of the third interval, or Sergei Bobrovsky would have recorded his third November shutout. Nonetheless, Florida concluded its three-game Canadian swing with 5 of a attainable six factors, enhancing to 14-7-2.

The Canadiens had gained three of their final 4 however did not climb over the .500 mark with the defeat, dropping to 10-11-2. Montreal went 0-for-6 on the facility play in opposition to Florida and is now in a 0-for-23 funk over its final eight video games. In the meantime, the Canadiens’ document is 0-4 in back-to-back video games and so they’ve been outscored 19-5.

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Whereas Kovacevic’s objective was his fourth in 23 video games, surpassing by one the quantity he produced in 77 matches final season, it additionally was the 18th rating from a Montreal defenceman. Canadiens rearguards have produced 28 per cent of the staff’s 64 targets.

And, whereas Josh Anderson’s nonetheless looking for his first objective this season following 23 video games, he deserved to be awarded a penalty shot late within the first interval after being tripped on a breakaway by Gustav Forsling. Anderson had 5 hits in opposition to Florida gamers, his frustration clearly rising. He took his anger out within the sport’s remaining minute, placing a beating on Jonah Gadjovich in a one-sided combat.

Lastly, ahead Alex Newhook might be re-evaluated on Friday after struggling a lower-body harm within the third interval. The Canadiens entertain Detroit Saturday evening and the group will honour the Gray Cup-champion Alouettes.

hzurkowsky@postmedia.com

twitter.com/HerbZurkowsky1

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