Kirby Dach scored the deciding goal of a shootout as the Montreal Canadiens earned a 2-1 victory over the visiting Calgary Flames on Monday.
Trailing after the second intermission, the Canadiens equalized on Josh Anderson’s goal 1:40 into the third period. Jake Allen and Jacob Markstrom then continued their goaltending duel throughout regulation and through overtime, with Montreal finally winning via shootout.
Allen stopped 34 of 35 shots for his ninth win of the season. Allen has delivered two of his best performances against Calgary, as he stopped 45 of 46 shots in a 2-1 win for the Habs over the Flames on Dec. 1.
Markstrom stopped 37 of 38 shots in a hard-luck loss.
Jonathan Huberdeau’s power-play goal in the second period was Calgary’s only tally of the game.
Each team was whistled for eight penalties, with the Flames serving 21 penalty minutes and the Canadiens 19 minutes. Calgary was 1-for-6 on the power play while the Habs were scoreless on seven power-play chances.
Montreal entered Monday’s action with the third-lowest (15.66 percent) power-play percentage of any team in the NHL. The Habs couldn’t capitalize on several golden opportunities against the Flames, including 100 seconds of a 5-3 advantage in the second period, and a four-minute power play in overtime.
All of the aggressive (and occasionally sloppy) play took its toll on both teams and resulted in two key players making early exits.
Cole Caufield didn’t return to the game after taking a big hit from Trevor Lewis early in the second period. The Canadiens announced an upper-body injury for Caufield, who has a team-leading 16 goals for the Habs.
Chris Tanev also didn’t return, as the defenseman was hit in the head with the puck while sliding to block a Nick Suzuki shot during the second period. Tanev needed a few minutes to get to his feet but was able to skate with assistance to the Flames’ dressing room.
The Flames are winless (0-1-2) in their last three games, with discipline a continued issue for the team. Calgary has been issued 21 penalties and 49 penalty minutes during that three-game stretch.
–Field Level Media
