(Montreal) The seventh time was good for the Canadian.
Nick Suzuki reached the 30-goal-plus-assists mark this season, Cayden Primeau made 29 saves, and Montreal finally won a third straight game for the first time this season thanks to a 4-1 win over the visitors. Philadelphia Flyers.
The Habs failed to convert their first six chances to win a third straight game.
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“I'm glad we were able to accomplish this,” said coach Martin St. Louis. Now we will try to win the fourth place in a row. We must continue.
He continued: “The next match is always the most important.” We treat all matches this way. The engagement is excellent. The collective progress is excellent. We keep going! »
For his part, Suzuki became the first Canadian player to reach the 30-goal mark in one season since Brendan Gallagher in 2018-2019.
“It doesn't mean much to me,” Suzuki said. I try to help the team as much as possible, offensively and defensively. Yes, it's a nice number, but there are still some games to be played. We'll see how far I can go. »
Jesse Ilonen, Joel Armia and Jake Evans, the last duo with an empty net, also scored for the Canadian (28-32-12). Mike Matheson has three assists and has surpassed the 50-point plateau this season.
Primeau was denied a third straight shutout at home when he was hit by Owen Tippett with 1:01 left in the game. His streak without allowing a goal at the Bell Center ended after 178:43 of play.
The crowd chanted his name late in the third period.
“I'll never get used to it,” Primo said. It feels unreal. »
Samuel Erson stopped 13 shots against the Flyers (36-28-10).
The Canadians will host the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night at the Bell Centre.
Primo guards the fort
The first period was not very lively, but the Canadian found a way to control the ball by scoring two goals.
Suzuki opened the scoring for the first time at 12:58 on a power play. He took advantage of a pass from Juraj Slavkovski at the mouth of the net and beat Ersson.
Ilonen returned with 3:14 left in the period. Jumper on return after layup by Jayden Strobel.
The 24-year-old Finn thus ended a drought of 43 matches without scoring.
Slavkovskiy had a great chance to score early in the second half. He beat Scott Lawton and headed home. But Ersson blocked the ball.
Primo had to finally emerge in the second half of the second half. He made a good save when Travis Sanheim's shot was blocked by Travis Konecny. He was also on guard when Bobby Brink tried to capitalize on a punt return.
He also frustrated 24-year-old American goaltender Joel Farabee with the tip of his glove during a two-on-one attack against a Flyer.
Strobel had the Canadian's best chance midway through the second half during the final minute of play, as the defender cut in and fired a backhand shot. However, the ball reached the post.
The second period ended in disagreement. Flyers players were angry with Kayden Guhle because he hit Koneshny with a stick while the Canadian defender was on the bench.
“You can't hit a player off the bench,” Lawton said. This is a dirty game and it could be reviewed because the player should be sent off for this move. »
The Flyers finally pushed the puck behind the goal line 1:43 into the third period. However, the goal was disallowed after video review because Garnett Hathaway pushed the puck with her skate.
History repeated itself at 5:48, as Morgan Frost surprised Primeau with a rebound from the corner of the ice. However, the Canadian team's coach, Martin St. Louis, successfully blocked the goal since replays showed there was an offside at the entrance to the penalty area.
The Flyers once again came close to scoring on the power play. This time, Konecny hit the post after receiving a cross.
The Canadian was also denied a goal with 9:11 left in the match. Suzuki beat Erson on the return, but hit the puck while flying above the permitted altitude.
Primo put the finishing touches on the result with a brilliant save against Luton following a cross from Konecny six minutes before the end.
He also received a helping hand from David Savard shortly afterwards, when he blocked defender Farabee from shooting into an open cage.
Armia delivered the final blow by scoring into an empty net with 2:55 left in the game.
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