Canadian v. Hurricanes: Kotkaniemi has the last word

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As has often been the case since the start of the season, the Canadiens weren't given much of their skin against an NHL powerhouse. A formation, the Hurricanes, who had just beaten the Lightning 6 to 0.

But as has happened on a few occasions in recent weeks, Martin St-Louis' troops have found a way to make the match exciting.

However, Jesperi Kotkaniemi sealed the match when the sixth round of the shootout. By beating Jake Allen with a sharp shot from the side of the shield, the Finn gave his team a 4-3 victory and silenced the crowd that had booed him all evening, each time he touched the puck.

“It was really special to score that goal. In my celebration, I tried to be as respectful as possible,” said Kotkaniemi, who furtively pointed the finger at the spectators.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi was happy after giving the Hurricanes the victory against his old team.

Despite everything, we can only congratulate the resilience of the Habs, especially their fourth line, which was the real spark plug. Alex Belzile and Michael Pezzetta led the Canadiens' attack with a goal and an assist each.

Moreover, Pezzetta himself started the sequence that he would lead, a few seconds later to his goal, by putting Kotkaniemi in check at the visitors' blue line.

“We can keep our heads held high. We were up against a very good team, one of the best in the NHL. I'm happy with the battle we fought,” said Jake Allen.

As Bill Ranford

Besides, Allen held the fort brilliantly. He faced a barrage of at least 39 shots (39) for the eighth time this season. In overtime, he saved the day by stopping Seth Jarvis, alone to grab a return shot.

Earlier, he pulled off a save worthy of Bill Ranford's golden years at the expense of Jaccob Slavin, as his team clung to their 3-2 lead. On the same sequence, Pezzetta (him again) dived to prevent Derek Stepan to grab the return and lodge the puck in the gaping net.

►Mike Hoffman was the other scorer for the Canadian. On the streak, Jonathan Drouin collected a 14th point in his last 16 games.

+ Alex BelzileHe made sure his every appearance counted. Along with having the second two-point night of his career, his stubbornness sent Brent Burns to the penalty bench. The 31-year-old striker even had the right to a numerical superiority presence. – Josh AndersonRelatively quiet since Martin St-Louis dropped him from the top line, Anderson was virtually invisible all night. We noticed it when he knocked down Shayne Gostisbehere. Which earned him two minutes of penalties for obstruction

F4

3First period1-Mon: Alex Belzile (3)(Pezzetta, Tierney)10:17
2-Mon: Mike Hoffman (10)(Drouin)16:16
3-Car: Jaccob Slavin (5)(Stepan, Aho)16:31Penalties: Staal (Car) 3:07, Wideman (Mon) 6:39, Svechnikov (Car) 7:28 Second period4-Car: Brady Skjei (12)(Pesce, Teravainen)1:00
5-Mon: Michael Pezzetta (5)(Tierney, Belzile)2:49Penalties: Belzile (Mon) 3:16, Burns (Car) 3:16, Anderson (Mon) 4:42, Svechnikov (Car) 15:13 Third ;same period6-Car: Jesper Fast (8)(Pesce)16:22Penalties: Aho (Car) 4:59 OvertimeNo goalPenalties: No penaltyShootingCaroline wins by 3-2Caroline (3): Burns (goal), Svechnikov (missed) , Teravainen (goal), Aho (miss), Jarvis (miss), Kotkaniemi (goal) Montreal (2): Pitlick (goal), Suzuki (goal), Drouin (miss), Dvorak (miss), Harvey-Pinard (miss ), Anderson (missed) Shots on goalCaroline 10 – 12 – 13 – 4 – 39Montreal 10 – 7 – 6 – 1 – 24Goalkeepers:Car: Antti Raanta and Frederik Andersen (in 2nd period) (G , 16-6-0) Mon:: Jake Allen (PP, 14-20-3)Powered Advantages:Char: 0 for 2, Mon: 0 for 4Referees:< /b>Carter Sandlak, Wes McCauley Linesmen:Steve Barton, Kyle Flemington ASSISTANCE:21 105 Jesperi Kotkaniemi★Michael Pezzetta★★Brett Pesce★★★