Canadiens Edge Out Coyotes 3-2 In Overtime Win

The Montreal Canadiens were able to withstand the onslaught from the Arizona Coyotes and ultimately held on to take the game in overtime.

The Arizona Coyotes were relentless in attacking the Canadiens’ net all game, but Samuel Montembeault stood tall and kept his team in the game.

Newcomer Anthony Richard was also a pleasant surprise, playing with great speed and tenacity and earning a promotion mid-way through the game.

The Canadiens were able to keep the Coyotes at bay until they forced overtime, and were then able to seal the deal thanks to a laser by Mike Hoffman, left alone in the slot.

It wasn’t a pretty win by any means, but given how the game went down, the Canadiens will take the two points and run.

Rocketing Up The Ranks

Anthony Richard was freshly recalled from the Laval Rocket after leading the AHL in goal-scoring since the start of the season.

The 25-year-old, known for his speed and intensity, didn’t miss an opportunity to make a good first impression.

Right from his first shift, he was the most noticeable player on the ice with his speed. Pushing the puck up the ice with ease and beating veteran NHL defencemen to the inside and making plays close to the net.

His efforts didn’t go unnoticed, as Head Coach Martin St-Louis flipped Richard from the 4th line to the 2nd line at the end of the second period.

Richard’s recall to the NHL was a long-time coming, but he wasted little time making the best of the hand that was dealt to him.

Catching Fire

Cole Caufield stays red-hot, as he potted his 19th goal of the season for the Canadiens to open up the scoring for the Canadiens.

After a great pinch from Kaiden Guhle in the offensive zone, Josh Anderson slid the puck to Caufield, who made no mistake.

Caufield’s latest goal was his sixth goal in the last ten games. In hitting the goal tonight, Caufield is not tied for 10th in the NHL for goal-scoring alongside Mark Scheifele and Kirill Kaprizov.

Caufield hasn’t slowed down one bit this season, while the rest of the team has started to hit an offensive slump as of late.

It bodes well for the youngster’s upcoming contract extension, as his goal-scoring prowess is sure to reward him quite well if he keeps this up.

Cole Caufield with his 19th goal of the season #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/8hH4CJPWkE

— Nick McCardell (@UKhoops1_BBN) December 20, 2022

Standing Tall

Samuel Montembeault was a rock for the Montreal Canadiens tonight, yet again.

The Canadien’s goaltending situation has been in flux as of late, but Montembeault was able to put up a performance akin to his early-season heroics.

Pushing back 37 of 39 shots tonight, Montembeault was the main reason the Arizona Coyotes didn’t run away with this game early on.

The 26-year-old did not have an easy night, with a whopping 26 scoring chances against, with 13 of them being high-danger chances.

When the Canadiens needed point-blank saves, Montembeault stood tall and bailed out his club, especially as they tried to push the game to overtime.

It’s getting harder and harder to argue against Montembeault not getting more starts, especially on this demanding road trip.