Despite commendable defensive performances, the Canadians were defeated 4-1 by the New York Rangers in Montreal on Thursday, suffering their seventh consecutive defeat.
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Former CH Jaroslav Halak made a rare start to earn the win with 17 saves. Joel Armia shattered his shutout dreams in the second half of the third period with his first goal since April 11th.
Rangers are going through an excellent streak with three straight wins and four straight games by at least one point. Notably, they ended the Carolina Hurricanes’ 11-game winning streak last Tuesday.
Second expensive
In contrast to the recent defeats, the Canadian got off to a good start this time, at least defensively. Much more conscientious in the neutral and defensive zones, the Montreal team limited their opponent to six shots in the first period and retired to the dressing room with a 0-0 draw.
As so often in the past, Chris Kreider then hurt the Canadian. He came to a shorthanded breakaway in the second period to open the scoring. It was his 18th goal of the season.
Braden Schneider and Filip Chytil then hit the target with 59 seconds left in the fight to put the game out of reach for Martin St-Louis’ troops. Chytil completed a brace in an empty cage.
Jake Allen still held 27 pucks as his club conceded fewer than four goals in six games for the first time.
In summary
Injured, Brendan Gallagher did not take part in the game. Mike Hoffman was left out so Joel Armia and Evgenii Dadonov were in the lineup. Johnathan Kovacevic returned to the lineup on defense, replacing young Justin Barron.
The Bleu-Blanc-Rouge play their next game on Saturday when they host the St. Louis Blues.