Mike Hoffman played the heroes in overtime, allowing the Montreal Canadiens to beat the Arizona Coyotes 3-2 at Mullett Arena on Monday.
Hoffman fooled Karel Vejmelka’s vigilance in overtime thanks to his superb wrist shot. It’s the second overtime goal this season for the veteran, who gave the win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in November.
However, the Habs were not in control of the day’s clash and, as on several occasions this season, Samuel Montembeault kept his teammates in the game. He made 37 saves versus just 23 for his opponent.
Cole Caufield was the first to hit the target, right at the start of the middle half. Kaiden Guhle earned more than just a secondary assist on the streak, he maneuvering around opposing defenses just before the little sniper unleashed a fierce wrist shot.
Christian Dvorak also threaded the needle in that encounter, minutes after Nick Schmalz equalized the game. The American center pursued his former team, expertly deflecting a shot from the front of Arber Xhekaj.
However, rookie Matias Maccelli reset the counters to zero less than three minutes later. Jacob Chychrun and Lawson Crouse let the Finnish forward escape by mystifying the habs with a prepared game.
In his first match in the blue, white and red jersey, Anthony Richard distinguished himself with his speed and tenacity. He spent 10 min 58 p. on the ice, had two shots on target and even had a second audition alongside Kirby Dach and Jonathan Drouin.
A tough first 20
The Habs struggled to assert themselves early in the game, failing to thread the needle for a sixth straight game in the first period.
Aside from that prolonged lack of fuel and the 16 shots on goal he gave the Coyotes, the CH was damaged during that deployment.
Dvorak’s return to Arizona got off to a rocky start. The American center was hit by a one-timer by teammate Nick Suzuki near the Temple and immediately retreated to the dressing room. However, he was able to return to the game.
A few minutes later, Slafkovsky was stunned too. The young Slovak was aiming to get into the opponent’s zone when he hit an unexpected wall: Shayne Gostisbehere! Despite weighing almost 50 pounds less than Slafkovsky, he tested him hard.
The Canadian will continue his international tour in Colorado on Wednesday, where he will visit the Avalanche.