Calgary 4 - Carolina 3

Want to read Puckerings articles when it suits you? Just sign up for our RSS feed!

The Flames and ‘Canes traded goals back and forth before Calgary was able to nab the game winning goal as Phaneuf scored at even strength at 11:48 in the third period. Phaneuf grabbed an assist and Jerome Iginla scored his 21st goal of the season.

Carolina 4 - New York Rangers 0

Cam Ward notched his second shutout of the season as Corey Stillman recorded two goals to help the Carolina Hurricanes defeat the New York Ranger 4-0. This win comes only two days after a brutal 8-1 loss to Buffalo on Saturday night, the beginning of what looked to be a very long 5-game road trip.

The Rangers looked sleepy through this one, nothing at all like the team who beat the Eastern Conference leading Ottawa Senators 5-2 on Saturday. With this loss the Rangers continue to lag 2 points behind the Sens in the standings.

Aron Downey Vs. Jesse Boulerice

Aron Downey of the Dallas Stars does the one-punch knockout against Jesse Boulerice of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Montreal 7 - Carolina 4

The Game

The Canadiens came out to a flying start with goals from unlikely names such as Chipchura and Plekanec within the first 10 minutes of the game. Additional goals from Kovalev, Koivu and Streit gave the Habs a commanding 5-1 lead at the end of the first period.

The second saw some unique situations. First, after going 4/4 on the powerplay in the first, the Habs failed to score on their first two attempts in the second. A Carolina goal in the middle of the period that was lofted over Huet just as a fight began in front of the net was called no goal despite the fact that the puck clearly passed the goal line before a whistle was blown. I’m a Habs guy so I won’t say much about it, but if I were a Carolina fan…

The fun continued as Eric Staal scored on Carolina’s first penalty shot of the year against Huet with the Canadiens answering a very short time later with another goal from Plekanec on the Canadiens seventh powerplay, giving them a 6-2 lead at that point.

The Habs pace slowed a bit in the third and Carolina managed to scare me into thinking that they may mount a comeback but, despite goals from Ray Whitney and Rod Brind’Amour, Montreal managed to finish the game 7-4 with an empty netter by Dandenault at the end of the third period.

My Thoughts

I feel like simply repeating everything I said about the game against Boston the other night. The Habs came out strong, all four lines went to work, and they came out with 7 goals. Huet made a few big saves but looked a bit weak on a few of the goals. Carey Price is getting the start in Pittsburgh tomorrow night and it would be nice to see him have a monster game and earn himself a few extra starts. I like Huet and his ability level matches the rest of the team usually; when all four lines are putting pucks in the net to finish games with 6 and 7 goals, he just doesn’t make the cut in my opinion. Price looks like he has the makings of a great - I’d love to see him as a starter by the end of the season!

What Went Right?

Nearly everything! Superstars like Koivu and Kovalev are continuing to come through at a rapid pace and support from the third and fourth line was amazing. When a guy like Plekanec scores two in a game against a strong team like the Hurricanes, it’s clear that the Habs are doing something right.