It might not have been the Hockey Night in Canada game with the most hype, but the Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens battled for pride and to avoid the Eastern Conference’s basement on Saturday night at the Bell Centre. It was close for a while, but Montreal pulled away for a 5-1 victory.
Canadiens Dominate First Period
Montreal entered the contest with only 12 points and Columbus 14, making them the two lowest-ranked clubs in the conference. But even in a contest between sides looking for answers, two points and bragging rights will encourage all involved to play hard.
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And play hard the Canadiens did in the opening frame, thanks mostly to a trio of penalties the Blue Jackets were guilty of. On an evening when newly minted Hall-of-Famer and former captain Shea Webber was honoured in a pre-game ceremony, it was only fitting that blueliner Mike Matheson blasted a shot from the point to give his side a 1-0 lead. Montreal kept Blue Jackets netminder Danil Tarasov busy with 15 shots.
Goals Traded in Middle Frame
Head coach Dean Evason’s group played a much more physical game after the break. The result was that much of the action stayed in Montreal’s zone. The pressure eventually paid off when Dante Fabbro fired a slap shot from the blue line at 12:20 that squeaked through a herd of traffic and Samuel Montembeault.
But the Canadiens refused to have the terms level before the frame was up. With less than five minutes remaining, an astutely tipped pass from Joel Armia sent Nick Suzuki off for a one-on-one. The Canadiens captain wristed a low, hard shot that lit the goal lamp for a 2-1 lead.
Condotta an Unlikely Scorer
With the Canadiens applying pressure in the final frame to finish the game, an unlikely hero emerged. At about the nine-minute mark, the fourth line made good on a Blue Jackets turnover in the neutral zone and generated a brilliant chance for lesser-known Lucas Condotta, who rifled home a pass from Armia. Barely three minutes later, more pressure and slick passing led Jake Evans to direct home a shot from in close to make it 4-1.
The icing was smothered onto the cake during some 4-on-4 hockey. Montreal won a faceoff in Columbus’ zone, and Josh Anderson destroyed a one-timer for a 5-1 advantage.
There were some late shenanigans, involving Cole Caufield, no less, but the Canadiens were comfortably on their way to the win.
The Blue Jackets will have Sunday to lick their wounds before playing the Bruins in Boston on Monday. The Canadiens have a stern test awaiting them with the Edmonton Oilers visiting on Monday.
