Behind three goals in the first 5:48 of the game, the Canadiens beat the Blue Jackets 3-0 at Centre Bell in Montreal on Tuesday.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MTL CANADIENS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
1st Period
Brendan Gallagher opened the scoring at 0:21 with a nifty top-shelf shot from the doorstep to beat Elvis Merzlikins.
a commence bien la soire
— Canadiens Montral (@CanadiensMTL) March 12, 2024
Off to a great start#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/hlo5yL3ztm
Juraj Slafkovsky's right-circle one-timer on the power play doubled Montreal's lead at 3:15.
Slafsky!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/X3rqLbtAXe
— Canadiens Montral (@CanadiensMTL) March 12, 2024
Joshua Roy gave the Canadiens a three-goal lead at 5:48 with a deflection off Arber Xhekaj's slapshot from the point. After the goal, Daniil Tarasov replaced Merzlikins, who allowed three goals on four shots.
Dans la zone payante
— Canadiens Montral (@CanadiensMTL) March 12, 2024
ROY-t place, right time#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/TVgGAznJCG
Montreal led Columbus 3-0 after 20 minutes while the Blue Jackets took a 22-8 advantage in shots on goal into the second period.
2nd Period
Boone Jenner had a great chance to put the Blue Jackets on the board to start the period but he was unable to get a shot away.
Tarasov made a key save at 15:25 when he robbed Alex Newhook from the doorstep to keep the Columbus deficit at three.
3rd Period
Carson Meyer had a great chance at 4:46 after shooting the puck to himself off the end boards before firing a shot from the left slot on Cayden Primeau, who made the save.
Adam Boqvist hit the crossbar with a left-point wrist shot at 5:19 in another near Blue Jackets goal.
With the 3-0 loss, the Blue Jackets are now 22-33-10.
Stats
- Shots on Goal: CBJ 41-23 MTL
- Faceoff %: CBJ 53.7-46.3 MTL
- Power play: CBJ 0/4-1/3 MTL
- Takeaways: CBJ 11-17 MTL
- Giveaways: CBJ 5-6 MTL
- Blocked shots: CBJ 7-32 MTL
- Hits: CBJ 16-18 MTL
-
5-on-5 stats (via naturalstattrick.com):
- Expected Goals (xG): CBJ 2.61-2.33 MTL
- Shot Attempts (CF): CBJ 71-38 MTL
- Shots on Goal (SF): CBJ 27-19 MTL
- Scoring Chances (SCF): CBJ 31-18 MTL
- High-Danger Chances (HDCF): CBJ 11-11 MTL
Injury Update
- Patrik Laine entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on Jan. 28 and will be away from the team indefinitely.
- Adam Fantilli suffered a calf laceration on Jan. 28 and is expected to miss eight weeks.
- Kent Johnson has been placed on injured reserve with a torn labrum in his left shoulder that will sideline him for the remainder of the season. He underwent successful surgery on Thursday and is expected to make a full recovery in six months.
- Justin Danforth suffered a concussion on Thursday and missed his second consecutive game on Tuesday. There is no timetable for his return.
- Kirill Marchenko missed the game with an illness.
- Yegor Chinakhov left the game in the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return.
Next Up
The Jackets return to Columbus to take on the Ottawa Senators on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.
The club continues its homestand on Saturday when they host the San Jose Sharks at 7 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.
