Maxim Lapierre enjoyed a solid night with a goal and plus-2 rating.
(AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes)
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No Andrei Markov. No Hal Gill. No Brian Gionta. No Scott Gomez. No Jaroslav Spacek.
Apparently, no problem.
Though missing key pieces of their lineup, they did have a red-hot Carey Price and on this night, Marc-André Bergeron came out to play as the Canadiens bounced back from a couple of one-goal deficits to beat the Blue Jackets, 5-3, at the Bell Centre.
Clearly, there was a requirement on the Montreal side that your first or family name begin with the letter M in order to be a goal scorer. Bergeron potted a pair, while Mike Cammalleri, Glen Metropolit and Maxim Lapierre contributed singles.
Hometown boys Bergeron and Lapierre each had one of their best efforts of the young season.
The blue-liner, whose defensive shortcomings have made Canadiens fans cringe on several occasions in the past, showed he was capable of making a good play in his own end when he poke-checked the puck to break up a Blue Jackets 2-on-1 in the first period. At the other end of the ice, his second tally would stand as the game-winner. He finished the night with a whopping eight shots on goal and a plus-3 rating.
For those unsure of how Lapierre would fare in his first game without good friend Guillaume Latendresse, either pressure was lifted off the 24-year-old or it sent him a message and he ran with it. He drew a penalty that allowed the Canadiens to build some major momentum in the middle stanza and later potted the insurance marker. Lapierre’s evening ended with a plus-2 differential and three hits. He started the night between Tom Pyatt and Ryan White, but the latter was replaced by Sergei Kostitsyn later in the game.
Speaking of the younger Kostitsyn, well, it was a tough start to his 2009-10 Canadiens debut. On his first few shifts, it was easy to wonder if Sergei truly had changed, especially with his penalty late in the opening period. In the end, it appeared to be just a matter of getting re-adjusted to the pace of the NHL. He earned some power play time and made the most of it. After winning a puck battle in the corner in the waning ticks of the second frame, Sergei set up Max Pacioretty (another M!) in the slot with a perfect pass, but Blue Jackets netminder Mathieu Garon made the save.
Sergei also earned the lone assist on Lapierre’s goal, as the pair enjoyed a 2-on-1.
And finally, Price. The Canadiens have gone 4-1-1 over their last six games – all of which he has started – and his name has yet to be excluded from a single postgame story during that stretch, and with good reason. Again, with his teammates facing 2-1 and 3-2 deficits, Price made the key saves and held the fort when his teammates couldn't.
During his run, Price has posted a no worse than a .900 save percentage each night; in his last five, .917 was the lowest on his resume.
The Canadiens will face a tougher test on Wednesday night as they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Other game notes:
- Jacques Martin once again balanced out the ice time for his team in the opener of back-to-back games. Josh Gorges was the busiest player on either side, logging 22:21.
- Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash made an incredible blind backhand pass to Antoine Vermette on Columbus’ first goal.
- Ryan White earned his second NHL point – his first since his debut against Boston on Nov. 5 – with his assist on Bergeron’s second goal.
- Mike Cammalleri, Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn all extended their respective point streaks, as they combined for the first goal of the night. Plekanec had his eighth multi-point game of the season, his fourth in the last six games.
- Discipline continued to be an issue for Montreal through the first half of the game, accumulating four penalties through the first 30 minutes. The team settled down in the second half, avoiding the penalty box altogether.
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