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Canadiens Postgame

Canadiens Win Crazy Game Full Of Goals, Fights, And Injuries

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2 weeks ago

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montreal canadiens capitals

The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Washington Capitals on Friday night, looking to avoid a disheartening 0-3 series deficit.

It was easily the best game of the playoffs for the Habs, as they out-played, out-hit, and flat-out dominated the Capitals in a highly entertaining game in which both teams lost their starting goalies.

In the end, the Canadiens emerged with a well-deserved 6-3 win to cut the series lead to just 2-1.

There’s a lot to discuss, so let’s dive into the highlights!

Do Or Die Time

The Habs started with a little extra pep in their step, thanks in part to the energy provided by the fans whenever Arber Xhekaj took to the ice. That being said, it would be unfair to credit Xhekaj with the improved rhythm, as players such as Josh Anderson also did a great job energizing the crowd.

Once the adrenaline dump was over, things settled down a little, which led to Connor McMichael scoring his third goal of the series. The Habs responded quite well, and it didn’t take them 20 minutes to do so.

After generating the most high-danger scoring chances at 5v5 in any period of the series, defenceman Alexandre Carrier scored a crucial late goal. You’ll note Logan Thompson was dealing with a lot of traffic, with multiple screens in place to frustrate the Capitals netminder.

Like Monty From WW2 But Less Annoying And Arrogant

Samuel Montembeault has quietly enjoyed a very solid series so far, and he maintained his excellent play in Game 3. Not only did he rob the Capitals on a sure-goal situation, even Alex Ovechkin thought it was a guaranteed marker.

Unfortunately, Montembeault had to leave the game late in the second period, which led to rookie netminder Jakub Dobes making his NHL Playoffs debut in a less-than-ideal situation.

Montembeault quickly grabbed his left leg following a lateral transition earlier in the period, but at the risk of playing doctor on the internet, he did not look to be in serious pain, even if it was clear something was bothering him.

Should Montembeault not be able to play on Friday, except Cayden Primeau to receive a call-up, as Jacob Fowler only has an AHL contract at this point in time.

Give And Go

Nick Suzuki briefly gave the Habs a lead, and it must be said even if it has been said a thousand times: He thrives in big moments.


Of course, the Capitals responded, but the good news is that it cued up a dramatic goal that was set up perfectly by rookie Lane Hutson, who continues to lead the team in scoring. Full marks to Cole Caufield as well, scoring his second goal of the playoffs after the great Hutson interception.

I Love The Playoffs

Just as the second period concluded, Xhekaj got into a shoving match with a few Capitals players, which then led to Tom Wilson looking for Josh Anderson amid the scrum.

The Capitals bench door opened, and all hell broke loose. If you’d like more information about the crazy play, check out our standalone article.

The Canadiens took over the game following the bad decision by Wilson to go looking for trouble. There’s absolutely no doubt they unravelled, and that’s a great sign for the Habs going forward.

It should also be noted that Logan Thompson had to leave the game following a great goal by Juraj Slafkovsky that also saw Dylan Strome violently crash into the Capitals netminder.

Juraj Slafkovsky’s fantastic performance on Friday night should not be overshadowed. He was arguably the best player on the ice.

The Montreal Canadiens are back in action on Sunday. They will face the Washington Capitals at the Bell Centre. Game Four’s puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm ET.

All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.

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Tyrone

WHAT A F’IN GAME!!!! 💣💥

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Tyrone

I don’t think we’ll be seeing Laine back any time soon. 😉

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Tony

Well, he’s injured, so… no, we probably won’t see him for the rest of the series. His left knee was swollen last to the size of a volleyball, so maybe we can take it a little easy on the guy. No snarky comments necessary.

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Tyrone

Where did you see/hear that? On the game tonight they said he had an upper body injury, and it sure seemed they implied that it was more like he was “injured” in order to save face for taking him out of the lineup. I haven’t read/heard anything about a knee, especially one the size of a volleyball.

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bruce

It is according to According to Martin McGuire(98.5 FM)
I could not find any other source though.

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mikey_sl

everyone played bigger with xhekaj – who coughed up the puck and led to a goal while paired with… savard..
I thought MM played a very solid game tonight – very few brainfarts and carrier was more physical in this game than all series.. heck even dvo was hitting… kind… jeff petry hits… so.. ya … nudges..

Battle of the backups Sunday… yeesh they should play double headers in the playoffs!!

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Tony

So this is what happens when you add “intimidation” to your line up. Get it Marty? The Habs totally dominated the Caps in every category because they totally dominated them physically. The players (even the small guys) finished EVERY check. They hit (and they hit hard), Anderson was a wrecking ball. And yes, part of that was because they were at home, but the team that I called soft in the games in Washington hit because they felt they had a license to play tough. With two of the best fighters in the league in their lineup every Habs player played 2 inches taller and 20 pounds heavier. The Caps coach said before this series began that he wanted his team to dominate the Habs, to bend them to the Caps will. Tonight it was the Habs doing the dominating.

I said before — this Caps team can be had. We saw it in the first two games, but Habs didn’t play with this kind of aggression. Maybe if Arber had been in the lineup we might have stolen one of those games.

In any event, the Habs are back in the series. With both teams’ goalies sustaining injuries tonight, it’s anyone’s guess who plays in net on Sunday. However, Thompson’s injury “looked” more serious than Monty’s. If Caps have to play Lindgren the rest of the way, I like the Habs’ chances, even with Dobes in net.

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Dana

One heck of an entertaining game. Fast, tough and skilled. I said a few days ago if I was coach I’d have Xhekaj stand at Center and intimidate the caps in the warmup. Duhaime is a tough guy, he vanished last night. Ovie had 8 hits in game 2- only 1 last night. Credit to Wilson, he showed up but our entire roster did. Those that claimed Hutson is too small for playoff hockey are- oh what’s the word I’m looking for- wrong!! Demidov has been better each game and tge foot soldiers up front won the trench battles. It was extremely entertaining hockey and a benchmark for our group. Marty can reference that game for years to come to fire up the troops. Commitment, sacrifice and full effort. Can’t wait for game 4

Question, if Primeau is called up, does he have to clear waivers to go back down? It’s injury related and playoffs so I’m not sure of the rules. Could Fowler sign an NHL deal today?

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