Habs Win Big Over Devils
Carey Price was Bumped by Adam Henrique
Coming off a less than satisfying road trip, the Habs looked to refocus themselves Thursday night as they hosted the New Jersey Devils. The Canadiens looked much better in this game as they jumped out to a 1-0 lead midway through the first on a goal by Phillip Danault, his 6th of the season. They Devils ties the game moments later when Adam Henrique appeared to bump Carey Price inside the crease, after review officials awarded Henrique the goal, despite protests from the Habs netminder.
Price Punched Kyle Palmieri 3 Times with the Blocker
Shortly after the Henrique goal, Habs forward Torrey Mitchell gave Montreal a 2-1 lead on a goal from Brendan Gallagher and Zach Redmond. With less than a minute to play in the period Devils’ player Kyle Palmieri fell while on a rush, colliding with Price in the crease. Price, still upset about the Henrique goal, jumped on Palmieri and began throwing punches with his blocker. A scrum ensued and Price was given a double minor for roughing. In a post-game interview Price stated that he was just defending himself.
The second period saw Montreal take a 3-1 lead on rookie Artturi Lehkonen‘s 4th goal of the season. The team would extend this lead in the 3rd on a goal by Max Pacioretty, who has finally broken from his slump. It was revealed earlier on Thursday that Pacioretty had played most of November on a broken foot. This just adds to the growing list of injury issues for the Habs, as Greg Pateryn was placed on injured reserve and is expected to miss 8 week with a broken ankle.
The Devils tried to rally back against the Habs, scoring on a powerplay early in the 3rd to close the score to 4-2. The goal by Taylor Hall was his 8th since the off-season trade that sent him to New Jersey. Torrey Mitchell would add his second of the game later in the 3rd to make the final score 5-2 for the Habs. Montreal is now 18-6-3 this season, while the Devils are 12-8-6. It remains unclear if Price will face any supplemental discipline for his first period actions.
Next Up: Colorado Avalanche
With the Devils behind them the Habs now look to Saturday night, when they will host the Colorado Avalanche. This will be the first meeting of the season between the 2 teams. The Habs will be looking to build off Thursday’s win in an effort to solidify their conference points lead. The Avalanche, on the other hand, are mired in 29th place in the league with a dismal record of 10-14-1. Game time is 7:00PM EST.
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