Brendan Gallagher was saddened by the penalty awarded by Pierre Lambert in the last game. If he could plead for a phantom penalty against the Calgary Flames, he would have no choice but to plead guilty to his high bat against Pavel Dorofeyev.
• Also read: WATCH: Ylönen scores a brace!
• Also read: Xhekaj leaves and does not return
The score was 4-4 at the end of the third period, but Gallagher stayed in the penalty box for four minutes by hitting Dorofeyev with his stick as he charged toward Cayden Primeau’s net.
The Golden Knights scored two goals at five-on-four as Gallagher kept his head down in the box. Jack Eichel and Mark Stone took turns hitting Primeau to give the visitors a two-goal lead.
But with the score at 6-4 and 72 seconds on the clock, it wasn’t over yet. Justin Barron revived hope at the Bell Center by beating Adin Hill with a good shot. And with five seconds left on the clock, Nick Suzuki knocked on the door, but the Knights’ big goalie stuck out his glove to stop him.
“We didn’t give up, but the Golden Knights remain a dangerous team on the power play and they took advantage of it,” admitted defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic. They hit two outside shots and scored a goal. Eichel is one of the best players in the NHL, just like Stone. »
However, Kovacevic quickly came to the defense of the small number eleven.
“It’s a hockey game, he wanted to raise his stick,” explained No. 26. “Brendan works hard and he’s a leader for us. There isn’t a player in this locker room who would blame him. He plays with heart every night. It was up to us to impose the punishments on him. »
In another corner of the locker room, Cayden Primeau also described this play by Gallagher as a simple accident.
“Dorofeyev was on his way to the net and wanted to slow him down,” explained the Habs goalkeeper. It’s impossible to blame him. I would have liked to have made the big saves at the end of the game. Truth be told, I actually felt better than I did at the start against the Red Wings in Detroit, but that doesn’t show on the scoreboard. »
Primeau conceded six goals on 43 shots, but without him the Golden Knights would have taken a comfortable lead in the opening minutes of the game, in which they attacked from all sides.
Martin St-Louis summed up this 5-6 defeat against the Stanley Cup winners well.
“Against Calgary, we lost on the table, but they didn’t beat us. Today we won at the table, but they beat us. We played with fire and got burned. »
The Golden Knights’ dominance was evident in the number of shots (43 to 28), but even more so in the number of shots attempted (95 to 51).
Ylönen and Xhekaj are injured twice
In this offensive game, Jesse Ylönen hit the goal twice. He scored a nice goal on a breakaway and another after a precise relay from Michael Pezzetta.
Alex Newhook (two goals) and Nick Suzuki (two assists) also had a good evening offensively. Shea Theodore led the visitors’ attack with one goal and three assists.
Arber Xhekaj was hit by Ivan Barbashev in the second period and did not return to the game. The CH spoke of an upper body injury. Before returning to the dressing room, Xhekaj held his left shoulder. Last year, he injured his right shoulder after a fight against Vincent Desharnais of the Oilers.
In memory of Karl Tremblay
From the Repentigny Jets to the Montreal Canadiens. Before the birth of the Cowboys Fringants, Karl Tremblay met Jean-François Pauzé in an arena locker room. Hockey and sports had a big place in the singer’s heart. So it was fitting to see his childhood team pay a living tribute to him the day after his death.
Before the game, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard donned a number 76 jersey with Tremblay’s name on it. 76 represented the birth year of the man who died prematurely of prostate cancer at the age of 47. To the sound of the powerful melody “The Shooting Stars,” the 21,000 supporters and thousands of others across Quebec and the French-speaking world took a few minutes to reflect, sing and shed tears.
Throughout the first period and during both intermissions, the Bell Center vibrated to the rhythm of the Cowboys Fringants’ diverse songs.
At the end of the game, the Habs made a symbolic gesture by presenting Karl Tremblay with the first star.
►The newspaper sends condolences to the entire Cowboys family.