Montreal Canadiens Lose Third Straight Game

By Emmanuel D | Feb 15, 2020

MONTREAL, QC - OCTOBER 13: Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates the puck on a breakaway in a shootout against the Montreal Canadiens during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on October 13, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in a shootout. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

On Friday night, the Montreal Canadiens were looking to get back into the win column against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins after dropping their last two games.

Both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens came out to slow starts with neither team able to finish any plays with only a single shot by the Penguins. However, the Canadiens had a chance to take control by being given the first powerplay of the night, the problem being that the Canadiens powerplay is the worst in the NHL since the start of the new year but the third best road powerplay on the season.

The Habs mixed things up on the powerplay, replacing Ben Chiarot with Victor Mete on the blue line in hopes that this would add an element of speed and playmaking. Seeing this in play would have to wait as the Habs were unable to set anything up on this powerplay.

The remainder of the first period can be characterized as slow-paced and uneventful with both teams getting under 10 shots.

More from Habs News

Both teams came out with a bit more of a jump in their respective games but both goaltenders were able to hold their own early on. The Pittsburgh Penguins were then granted their first powerplay of the night, putting the Habs on the penalty kill. Early on, McCann missed on an open net that would have put the Penguins ahead.

Letang had a strong shot that hit the post and although he missed on his first attempt, he scored on the second giving the Penguins a 1-0 lead for his 13th goal of the season. This play occured when Habs defenceman Ben Chiarot was unable to clear the puck. The Habs applied pressure afterwards but accomplished little before Ben Chiarot took a slashing penalty. A rough game for him so far.

The Habs second attempt at the powerplay looked further discombobulated than their first attempt with the Habs not registering a single shot and then allowing newly acquired Pittsburgh Penguin Jason Zucker to score his first with the Penguins to give them a 2-0 lead.

Third time’s the charm, right? With 1:30 remaining in the second period, the Habs got another chance on the powerplay to cut the Penguins lead to one and Tomas Tatar did just that with a nice pass from Victor Mete. (See? Playmaking!) The decreased deficit was unfortunately short-lived for the Habs as Jason Zucker scored his second of the night to conclude the second period.

The Pittsburgh Penguins came out dominating in the third period, not giving the Montreal Canadiens any chances to complete a play. It looked as if by the the end of the first half of the period that the Habs started to apply more pressure in their attempt to play catch-up but Tristan Jarry knew just how to shut them down.

This has been one of the recurring problems for the Habs. Not just against the Penguins but for many games throughout their season. The opposition goes up in the first two periods and the Habs only begin signs of life and always have to work for the comeback.

Aston-Reese scored on the empty net giving the Penguins a 4-1 that all but solidified their win against the Montreal Canadiens.

Next. Caufield Surpassing Sky-High Expectations In Wisconsin. dark

The Montreal Canadiens will host the Dallas Stars on the second night of their back to back on Saturday at 7:00 PM.