CANADIENS
Montreal

1-4

OILERS
Edmonton

Lineup

Forward lines and defense pairings 

[one_half]Pacioretty – Drouin – Byron
Galchenyuk – Danault – Shaw
Lehkonen – Plekanec – Gallagher 
Deslauriers – Froese – Carr
[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Alzner – Petry
Benn – Schlemko
Morrow – Lernout 
[/one_half_last]

Goaltenders

Niemi
Price

Scratches

Jacob De La Rose, Charles Hudon, Jakub Jerabek

Injuries

Ales Hemsky – concussion, Al Montoya – concussion, Shea Weber – lower-body

Game Report

The Canadiens were not in this game from the drop of the puck.

It’s cliche to say that goaltending kept the Habs in it but that phrase did not apply on this night. While Antti Niemi made some solid saves, he did allow a weak goal to Connor McDavid who scored with a low shot from well out. And the feeling hung in the air, that Niemi was primed to allow the next one even when the Habs threatened.

Not that this game was about goaltending. Not at all. The team in front of Niemi could not handle the Oilers speed. From Jonathan Drouin to Joe Morrow, most Canadiens were guilty of turnovers and getting caught flatfooted by Edmonton forwards.

Was it a case of tired legs after playing the night before? Not likely. The Oilers were simply better in every aspect of the game but especially control of the neutral zone. Edmonton was able to generate speed in mid-ice and attack Habs defenders with the speedometer buried.

The Canadiens are now 25th in the NHL standings. They are six points out of the wild card positions currently occupied by the Rangers and Islanders. Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Carolina are ahead of the Habs. Montreal’s next game will be in Carolina on Wednesday when they will face the Hurricanes.

~~~

▲    

▼    Joe Morrow

1. Leon Draisaitl  EDM
2. Connor McDavid  EDM
3. Nugent-Hopkins  EDM

• “We weren’t good enough in the first half of the game. We picked it up a bit in the second half. Obviously that goal gave us a bit of life, but we didn’t seem to find our legs or even our momentum in the first half.”
• “We were chasing the game more than anything else, but when you play two games in less than 24 hours, you try to push yourselves as athletes and, as a coach, you’re trying to push, but tonight was a tough night.”

Brendan Gallagher

• “We were playing a good hockey team and we made key mistakes at certain times of the game. We had our chances. Their goalie made some saves, it’s nothing to hang our head about, the effort.”

Max Pacioretty

• “We had looks tonight, but instead of sustaining pressure when we had the chance, we were already backchecking before the puck was out of our zone. I don’t know if that was confidence or what, but we’ve got to find a way to put pucks in the net.”

David Schlemko

• “We had a chance to come in here tonight and make it a great trip, and it’s too bad we didn’t do that.”

Quotes courtesy of NHL.com

This vid is even better – Max Pac's jacket is actually super nice…but Carey's ensemble wins the day. 😎#GoHabsGo @AllHabs https://t.co/Fvjt5D34to

— Amy Johnson (@FlyersRule) December 23, 2017

Congratulations to @CanadiensMTL Victor Mete, who has been given an A for the upcoming #WorldJuniors! #TeamCanada 🇨🇦 @RocketSports @AllHabs https://t.co/lYJUQ2HMvd

— Matt Smith (@Snakebite350) December 24, 2017

here we go into third! #yeg @AllHabs #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/QVOfi7Nguc

— Ivka (@ivetka_habs) December 24, 2017

Follow @AllHabs on Twitter