Eller and Prust Leave ‘Canes in the Dust; Habs 4 Hurricanes 2

Despite not playing a full 60 minute game the Habs were able to snag a big two points in Raleigh, North Carolina tonight led by an offensive surge from Brandon Prust and Lars Eller. Both notched a goal and two assists and were a combined +5 on a night where Carey Price turned aside 41 of 43 shots while the Justin Peters got the nod for his second straight start and struggled early on and faltered in the third period allowing Montreal to leave NC still atop the Eastern Conference.

In the opening frame the Habs had that much-needed jump in their step and it didn’t take long for Montreal to establish their dominance in the first 2o minutes. Once again Montreal was able to instill their game, control the majority of the play and were rewarded early on with Brandon Prust jumping on a loose puck and slipping it by Justin Peters for his fourth of the campaign. Assists on the play credited to Emelin (7) and Eller (10). The Canadiens kept the train moving with a pinching Josh Gorges who received a heads up pass from a peaking Brandon Prust made it 2-0 on a backhand shot that probably should not have went in. I mean when you consider the angle, well put it this way I am still doing the math. P.K Subban would record a secondary assist on the play.

Now I don’t know what happened during intermission but it appeared both teams swapped jerseys because the Hurricanes could do no wrong while the Habs were caught floating (that is when their feet were moving). I think it is safe to assume for 75 or close to 80% of the period was spent in the defensive zone where Montreal not only had issues containing the Hurricanes but were unable to clear the puck whenever it found its way to their tape. Now if history has taught us anything this almost always results in a goal against and unfortunately for the Habs it resulted in two completely undoing all the work in the opening frame. First it was Jordan Staal potting just his sixth of the season with an assist credited to Faulk (7) at the 6:07 mark. Then the Hurricanes would take a page of the Habs playbook scoring once again just under five minutes later with Drayson Bowman unloading an absolute blast that I am sure Price would love another crack at. Bowman’s second goal of the campaign was assisted by Welsh (1). So just like that the game was tied and judging by the play of the Habs it deserved to be so. Carolina came out of the locker room rested and ready to draw even which makes me wonder what coach Kirk Muller had to say. His (Muller) departure to Carolina still stings in my opinion.

There must be something in the water down in Carolina because the third period was reminiscent of the first with the Hurricanes making it a bit more interesting. The one-sidedness that were the previous 40 minutes was nowhere to be found as both sides made an effort to pull ahead. However a pair of goals in a span 1:49 would prove to be enough to calm the storm for Montreal who were able to close out a second consecutive victory over the Hurricanes this season. Lars Eller capped off a play started by Brandon Prust who found an open Josh Gorges who slid the puck to Eller who notched his third goal of season. After a hard-nosed effort Eller was finally rewarded. It’s a shame his skills do not reflect on his offensive production which to many are often deceiving. Montreal would then capitalize on their fifth man advantage with their most common play with Andrei Markov lightly tapping the puck to P.K Subban who slapped home his sixth goal of the year. Secondary assist was credited to Eller (11).

Overall, this win will be mostly attributed to the mental toughness of Carey Price who although yielded a few unlucky goals stood strong and kept his team in the game stopping all nine shots in the third period and 41 saves on the night. Montreal should consider themselves lucky they escaped the second period tied at two. Price was peppered with 21 shots in the second frame which is absolutely unacceptable. That period was possibly the worst 20 minutes the Habs have played all season long. Coach Therrien stated that after the second period they were still in the game because of Price. If that isn’t motivation to get the win for your tender I do not know what is. My only issue with tonight’s performance was a lack of committment to playing a full 60 minutes. If it were not for Price this game would have been over before the third period was even underway. Grabbing two points while only putting a 40-45 minute effort is a steal in this league but performances like these are sure to see the loss column fill up rather quickly. Now the road trip continues as the Habs will travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Lightning and will look to build on their current two game win streak.

GO HABS GO