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Canadiens Postgame

Allen, Slafkovsky Power Canadiens To 2-1 Victory Over Flames

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Montreal Canadiens

An inspiring performance from Jake Allen and Juraj Slafkovsky powered the Montreal Canadiens past the Calgary Flames by the score of 2-1.

The Calgary Flames were all over the Canadiens in this game, but they simply couldn’t solve Jake Allen in what was one of his best performances since coming over to Montreal.

The Flames had more than double the number of shots the Canadiens had, but two questionable decisions from Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom were all the Canadiens needed to hit the mark and run away with the win against the Flames.

Rookie Juraj Slafkovsky had his best game of the season by far; playing a strong and aggressive game. He was notably better tonight playing higher in the lineup, with more talented players, and seemed to have gained some much-needed momentum after the game’s opening goal.

It wasn’t a pretty game for the Canadiens, but they got out with the win.

Here are the biggest takeaways:

Bouncing Back

Jake Allen had himself a very underwhelming month of November, sporting an .889 save percentage during his eight games.

He needed a strong bounce-back game on this roadtrip and that’s exactly what he gave the Canadiens tonight.

The 32-year-old kept the Habs in the game right from the start, as the Calgary Flames were unrelenting with their offensive-zone pressure.

No matter the final result, it was the kind of performance the Canadiens want to see from Allen, as he battled right from the start of the game and looked ready to play.

If Allen can keep this play up, it should give the Canadiens a solid shot at winning games during one of the toughest sections in their schedule this season.

Early Bird Gets The Worm

Sean Monahan came to play from the very first puck drop and it made a big difference.

The newly formed line of Monahan, Juraj Slafkovsky and Josh Anderson struck early in the first period, showing head coach Martin St-Louis he made the right choice in putting the trio together.

Monahan poked a Slafkovsky pass into a hole in the defensive coverage and came in at full speed, causing goaltender Jacob Markstrom to come out to meet him.

Markstrom may have stopped Monahan from getting a prime breakaway chance against him by rushing out of the blue paint to impede him, but the risk backfired immediately.

Slafkovsky jumped on the loose puck that had ricocheted off Markstrom and fired home his fourth of the season with ease.

Monahan wanted to make a difference early in this game, and that’s exactly what he did.

Milestone Marker

Cole Caufield was playing the 100th game in his young career and he didn’t miss an opportunity to make his mark on the game.

After a very quiet first couple of periods, the Canadiens’ sniper received a beautiful pass for Nick Suzuki halfway through the third period and made no mistake.

Caufield continues to score big goals for the Canadiens when they need it the most.

His 40th career goal proved to be the one the Canadiens needed to run away with the victory tonight.