MONTREAL — Determined to snap a six-game skid, the Montreal Canadiens fought tooth and nail during an intense third period to earn a 5-4 victory against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.
The Habs and Blues combined for five goals in the final frame, but Josh Anderson scored the game-winner on a Jonathan Drouin backhand past the goal line at 11:30.
The Blues (19-18-3) managed just one shot on net after Anderson’s goal, while Montreal (16-21-3) blocked six shots, including five in the final two minutes, to hold on for the win.
“I think that’s the energy of Saturday night,” Habs coach Martin St. Louis said. “You knew there was going to be energy in the building tonight and we built our game as it went on.
“Our special teams were good tonight, and as the game went on, the guys knew we were playing well, and when you’re in the game in the third, it’s easier to have passion.”
“It shows great resilience on our part,” Drouin added. “We knew we were going to get chances with the way we played this whole game and it was huge to get that equalizer from Joel and another after that.”
Joel Armia had two hits. Kirby Dach and Cole Cofield also scored. Jake Allen made 18 saves and allowed four goals as he swept the season series against his former team.
After suffering a healthy scratch in Montreal’s 6-3 loss to the Nashville Predators on Jan. 3, Armia has scored in back-to-back games.
“I don’t feel like I played that well,” Armia said of his game before being scratched. “You just have to look in the mirror sometimes and ask for a better, better you.”
“I’ve had a lot of discussions (with Army) since the season started, but they can only take it so far,” St. Louis said. “He needs to think and get out of it. I’m happy for the Army.”
The “blues” were helped by the fourth line. Alexey Torpochenko scored and Nikita Alexandrov scored his first NHL goal. Brandon Saad and Pavel Buchnevich added goals.
Jordan Binnington gave up five goals and made 22 saves.
“We just lost coverage around our net on a couple of plays. One play, we don’t get it off the blue line and it backfires on us,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “Mistakes, too many penalties. Eight minutes of penalties tonight.”
Christian Dvorak tried to recreate the magic of the last meeting between the Canadiens and the Blues, where he recorded a hat trick in a 7-4 victory. Late in the first period, Dvorak found his way between Blues defensemen Calais Rosen and Justin Faulk, but Binnington denied the center’s effort to score the first goal.
Seconds later, the Blues broke the ice on a counterattack. Braden Schenn fed Saad on a two-on-one down the ice, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead going into the first intermission.
Army tied the score for Montreal in the second half. The wing got Jack Neighbors down by spinning and curling a wrist shot that beat Binnington.
St. Louis regained the lead when former Hab Tyler Pitlik found Torpochenko, who scored his second goal of the campaign.
Montreal had a golden opportunity to tie the score at 2-2 after Ivan Barbachev scored four minutes into the game. After three minutes of sustained pressure, it looked as though the Blues would escape their lengthy penalty, but Dach equalized from a high position.
“It’s definitely something we’re all working on,” Drouin said. “If you’re not going to score on the power play, you at least want to generate chances and make the other team work for their PK and I thought we did that tonight. There’s a lot of good movement, a lot of shots coming from a lot of areas and it’s just great to take advantage of one.”
The Canadians took their first lead of the game 36 seconds into the third period. Nick Suzuki played a high pass for Coffield behind the goal and the winger surprised Binnington for his 23rd goal of the season.
The Blues tied the game less than two minutes later when Alexandrov jumped on Allen’s rebound to score his first NHL goal.
St. Louis made it a 4-3 game on the powerplay after ex-son Joel Edmundson’s weak clearance found its way onto Buchnevich’s stick in the slot.
The Habs tied the game once again when Jake Evans hit the post, but Armia grabbed the rebound and scored his second goal of the night.
The Canadiens took their second lead of the game when Drouin’s backhand slipped under Binnington and Anderson tapped the puck past the goal line.
“It’s huge for us,” David Savard said. “It’s been a tough month, we’ve had a tough stretch at the moment and to finally get a win at home doesn’t matter how you get it.
“There was a lot of momentum swing in that game and we handled it pretty well. We kept checking, creating things and finally got a win at home.”
NOTES
Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo suffered a lower-body injury in the first period and did not return to the game.
DEFENDERS REACHED BARGAIN PRICES
Canadiens defenseman David Savard skated in his 700th NHL game. The Ste. The Hyacithe, Que., native shared his 12-year NHL career between the Canadiens, Columbus Blue Jackets and Tampa Bay Lightning and collected 191 points (45 goals, 146 assists) along the way.
Across the ice, Blues defenseman Justin Faulk laced up his 800th NHL skate. The 33-year-old also played 12 seasons in the NHL with the Blues and Carolina Hurricanes, scoring a total of 368 points (119 goals, 249 assists).
NEXT
The Canadiens finish their three-game homestand by hosting the Seattle Kraken on Monday.
The Blues play games on the road in Minnesota against the Wild on Sunday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on January 7, 2023.
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