GAME SUMMARY: CANADIENS 2 – HURRICANES 6
It didn’t take long to realize that this game would turn into another Habs loss. With Carolina Coach getting the best of Canadiens’ Coach Jacques Martin where line matching was concerned, it was a no brainer.
While showing you all the goals in the game would be cruel and unusual punishment, I’ve picked out a few that really show what this game was all about.
After a couple of big saves in the Carolina zone by Cam Ward, Jeff Skinner picked up a puck that was given up by Canadiens’ D man Brent Sopel after a hit by Tuomo Ruutu.
Just over four minutes later, Skinner scored again, after the puck was lost in the defensive zone by Lars Eller. This time, Ruutu earned an assist.
In the second period, after Brendon Sutter was penalized for tripping at 3:52, Michael Cammalleri made a couple of nifty moves to beat Canes’ goalie Cam Ward at 5:23. Assists to James Wisniewski and Tomas Plekanec.
Canadiens’ fans thought perhaps the momentum of the game might change at that point, but it didn’t take long for Carolina to restore their 2 goal cushion.
Jamie McBain scored, what proved to be the game winning goal, just 47 seconds after the Habs got on the board. He used a screen by Eric Staal and Hal Gill to beat Habs’ netminder Carey Price to the glove side. Eric Cole and Corey Stillman got assists on the play.
Jonni Pitkanen then added another marker at 9:03 of the second frame, assisted by Ruutu and Skinner, to seemingly put the game out of reach.
In the third period, on yet another power play, P.K. Subban scored on a howitzer from the blue line with 10:59 to play in regulation on the power play. Wisniewski and Plekanec again earned helpers.
Carolina poored more salt on the Canadiens’ wounds, with goals by Jamie McBain, his second of the night at 15:24, and by Corey Stillman on the power play with 2:13 left on the clock.
GAME POINTS
- The Canadiens again started the game well, but just couldn’t establish a net presence if front of Cam Ward.
- The Habs defensemen were as bad in the defensive zone as they have been all season.
- Ill-timed line changes led to three of Carolina’s six goals.
THREE STARS
- Jeff Skinner
- Jamie McBain
- Cam Ward
NEXT GAME: Saturday, April 2nd, 2011 against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center in Newark.