Tomas Plekanec had three assists against the Coyotes to
help lead the Canadiens to their third road win of the
season. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Related info
He may not be listed among the game’s three stars each night but there’s no doubting Tomas Plekanec has been the Canadiens’ best and most consistent forward so far this season. Plekanec kept at his bounce back year, racking up three assists in a 4-2 win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday night.
Mike Cammalleri, Marc-André Bergeron and Glen Metropolit scored for Montreal, while Brian Gionta sealed the victory with his eighth of the season into an empty net. Bergeron also picked up a pair of assists. The win, which snapped a two-game losing streak, was just the Habs’ third on the road this season.
All the areas of the game in which the Canadiens had struggled of late succeeded against the Coyotes. Jacques Martin watched his power play units convert on both opportunities. Penalty killing continued its strong play, denying the home squad on four man advantages. More than two goals were scored and the team finally recorded another victory in regulation.
Carey Price couldn’t be faulted on either Coyotes goal. First, Paul Mara’s stick accidentally caught Price in the throat, dropping the goaltender to the ice and unable to make the stop on former teammate Robert Lang. Then, a shot from the blue line deflected off forward Paul Bissonnette’s skate at the side of the net, leaving Price no chance to make the save.
The score could have run higher in the Canadiens’ favour. Plekanec, who surpassed the 200 point mark with his trio of helpers, enjoyed two solid scoring chances while shorthanded in the first period. Cammalleri was left alone at the Coyotes’ blue line and enjoyed a mini-break on Ilya Bryzgalov in the middle frame. Scott Gomez picked the puck off Montreal native Matthew Lombardi but was also denied by the Russian netminder in the final stanza.
Neither goalie was overly busy, both facing 20 shots on the night.
Unfortunately for the Canadiens, there was some bad news as Jaroslav Spacek missed the third period with an undisclosed injury. Should he be unable to play this weekend, he’ll be the team's fourth defenceman to be sidelined through six weeks of the 2009-10 campaign.
With the first of a brief two-game, Western Conference road trip in the bank, the Canadiens will look to carry that momentum over to Saturday night’s tilt in Nashville.
Notables:
- Cammalleri’s goal was the 140th of his career. It was also just his second goal on the road in 2009-10.
- Bergeron’s 4-on-4 tally was the Habs’ fifth this season in such circumstances, the most in the NHL.
- Rookies Tom Pyatt and Ryan White earned their coach’s confidence, logging 2:38 and 2:33 of shorthanded ice time, respectively.
- Price is now 3-0 against the Coyotes for his career.
- Paul Mara saw the most ice of any Hab, skating for 25:48 against his former team.
Click “Subscribe” at the top of the page to get new article alerts delivered right to your inbox.
Follow along on Twitter | Become a fan on Facebook
Comments