The Montreal Canadiens defeated Anaheim Ducks after an OT, and one very interesting match at the Bell Center. The final result was 3-2 for the hosts, with the hero of the game being Jeff Petry.
The 32-year old defenseman scored a game-winner in the overtimes, but his impact on the game goes far beyond this. He would post an assist, spend the most time on the ice, and replace captain Shea Weber, who picked up a lower-body injury.
His goal in OT was pretty impressive. Petry would take the puck from his zone, skate towards the Ducks’ goal before beating John Gibson with a wrist shot. That happened just 25 seconds following the start of the additional sequence.
According to the Canadiens’ head coach Claude Julien, Petry will now need to step up and take over the command of the ice with Weber out.
“When we don’t have a choice, (Petry) has to step up, he’s the next one on the right side to take over those responsibilities. That’s what he does. You just hope that he does that well and help us cushion the blow of Shea’s absence,” Julien explained.
After a tough opening, the Canadiens were the first to strike, when Nick Suzuki scored with 2:42 before the end of the opening period. It was a power-play goal following Nick Ritchie’s minor penalty. The 20-year old rookie scored his 11th goal of the season.
The game continued with the same intensity, and the teams recorded one goal each in the middle frame. Jacob Silfverberg tied the score at 9:53 of the second, while Brendan Gallagher used Ilya Kovalchuk’s assist to put the Canadiens ahead one more time 4 minutes and 23 seconds later.
Derek Grant leveled the score for the second time with 2:16 inside the final sequence. After that, the guests even had a chance to turn the result upside down, through Silfverberg, but Carey Price denied a golde opportunity for the Ducks to get away with the W.
Price ended the game with 35 saves and was carrying the hosts in the moments when Anaheim had the momentum.
“Carey Price was excellent right through the game,” Dallas Eakins, the Ducks head coach said. “Made a lot of saves. When the game’s on the line like that, that’s the guy (Silfverberg) we want to have the puck on his stick.”
This was the sixth win of the Habs in the previous eight matches, and they look much better now than before the All-Star break. Coincidentally, their rise started with Kovalchuk’s arrival, and many believe that even though the Russian veteran isn’t posting some notable stats, his presence in the locker room and on the ice is making things much easier for the entire crew.
Up next, the Canadiens (26-23-7) have a big derby against the Toronto Maple Leafs this Saturday at 7 pm ET. On the other side, the Ducks (22-26-6) will visit Toronto one day earlier to have their meeting against the same team. The match also starts at 7 pm ET.
