It has been a tough weekend for the Montreal Canadiens as they had back-to-back home games against the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks. Unfortunately, they would come away with no points and lose 4-2 to the Sharks and then 4-3 to the Ducks.
This was a game that the Canadiens seemed to be trying to play catch-up with the Ducks as Anaheim jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second period. The Canadiens responded with three straight goals to take the lead, but that was short-lived as the Ducks responded before the end of the period to tie it up.
It was a fairly even third period, but the Ducks would score the game-winner with about 2:30 minutes left in the period to secure the win. These are four takeaways from the game on Sunday night.
Brendan Gallagher back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch
For the first time since his first game in the NHL, Brendan Gallagher was a healthy scratch for the Montreal Canadiens. It was a tough decision that the coaches didn't take lightly, but it was one that was necessary as Gallagher has struggled as of late.
Gallagher returned in a big way and had one of his best games as of late with a +/- of +1 with one shot on net. According to Natural Stat Trick, he finished the game with a CF% of 83.33% in 5v5 situations and led the Canadiens in the category.
It was great to see a player who has meant so much to this franchise be able to bounce back, and hopefully, he can continue playing at this level through the remainder of the season.
Alex Newhook continues his hot streak since returning from injury
One player who has been unquestionably on a hot streak is Alex Newhook, who missed a majority of the season due to an injury but returned after the Olympic break. He has played in nine games since his return and has had seven points, including a goal against the Anaheim Ducks.
The play of Newhook has created so many more options for the Montreal Canadiens and really given them their best possible lines. Newhook has been playing on the second line with Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov and has allowed the team to move Juraj Slafkovsky up to the first line.
Alexandre Texier one second late on giving the Canadiens the lead in the second period
The second period was the most exciting in this game as the two teams combined for five goals. It started with the Ducks getting a 2-0 lead with a goal by Leo Carlsson before the Canadiens scored three straight.
It started with the Newhook goal before Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki scored to give Montreal its first lead of the night. The Ducks would respond later in the period and tie it up with a goal by Troy Terry.
However, the Canadiens almost had the lead back as Alexandre Texier beat Lukas Dostal, but it unfortunately was one second too late as the time expired on the second period. It was a beautiful play and would have given the Canadiens huge momentum going into the third period, but instead left fans asking 'what if' and how it might have changed the outcome of this game.
Montreal Canadiens struggle on the power play and cost them the win
The Montreal Canadiens have been pretty good this season on the power play and entered this game sixth in the league at 24.7%. On Sunday, though, the Canadiens weren't able to solve the Ducks' penalty kill, which ranked 25th, as they would go 0-4.
Early in the game, the Canadiens had two power plays in the first period, including a 5-on-3 for about 10 seconds, but couldn't score. At the time, the Canadiens were down 1-0, and if they somehow were able to score on one of them, it could change the direction of this game.
In total, the Canadiens were only able to muster five power-play shots across the four power-play opportunities. In a close game like this, a power play goal could have been the difference in a game the Canadiens needed to win.
The Canadiens will need to find a way to regroup and get back in the win column on Tuesday night against the Boston Bruins.