{"id":18214,"date":"2017-10-25T09:12:19","date_gmt":"2017-10-25T13:12:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=18214"},"modified":"2017-10-25T14:25:33","modified_gmt":"2017-10-25T18:25:33","slug":"the-montreal-canadiens-win-a-game-in-regulation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2017\/10\/25\/the-montreal-canadiens-win-a-game-in-regulation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Montreal Canadiens Win First Game in Regulation this Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For the first time in the 2017-18 season, the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/nhl-teams\/canadiens\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Montreal Canadiens<\/a> won a game in regulation last night at the Bell Center. The win against divisional rival the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/nhl-teams\/panthers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Florida Panthers <\/a>comes after one of the worst starts in franchise\u00a0history.<\/p>\n<h1>The Montreal Canadiens Win First Game in Regulation this Season<\/h1>\n<p>Going into the game, the Canadiens had scored just 12 goals while allowing 33 goals against. They have looked lost on defense, ineffective on the power play, and unwilling to stand up for each other. It was shocking and shameful that no one stepped up after this <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/shawan01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Andrew Shaw<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0mugging\u00a0by <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/biekske01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Bieksa<\/a><\/strong> last Friday against\u00a0the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/nhl-teams\/ducks\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anaheim Ducks<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The juice says sit down Shaw! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kbieksa3?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@kbieksa3<\/a> \ud83d\udcaa\ud83c\udffb\ud83d\udc4a\ud83c\udffb <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/T6iYFh0Z56\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/T6iYFh0Z56<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; DucksNPucks \ud83e\udd86\ud83c\udfd2 (@DucksNPucks) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DucksNPucks\/status\/921595636704673793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 21, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Better At Every Position<\/h2>\n<p>How did the Habs win? From <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/p\/priceca01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carey Price<\/a><\/strong> out, they played a strong game. The defense looked better, and the forwards scored.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">What do you get when you mix some resilience, special teams and stellar play between the pipes? A decisive win, that&#39;s what.<br \/>READ -&gt; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EDw6Gpwg7k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/EDw6Gpwg7k<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/GoHabsGo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#GoHabsGo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Canadiens Montr\u00e9al (@CanadiensMTL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CanadiensMTL\/status\/923048605887401984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 25, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>The Price is Right<\/h3>\n<p>Last night, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/p\/priceca01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carey Price<\/a><\/strong> started the slow process of reversing his 1-5-1 record and upped\u00a0his dismal .881 save percentage (SV%). He made two key\u00a0saves, one on the first play of the game against <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/barkoal01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aleksander Barkov<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0He made another big save on Barkov four minutes later. While <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/y\/yandlke01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Keith Yandle<\/a><\/strong> beat the Habs goaltender in the first period, Price finished with 26 saves and a .963 SV%.<\/p>\n<h3>Defensive Deluge<\/h3>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/w\/webersh01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shea Weber<\/a><\/strong> scored two goals including a power play blast and earned the first start of the game. In the locker room, he\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/montrealgazette.com\/sports\/hockey\/nhl\/hockey-inside-out\/in-the-habs-room-carey-prices-early-saves-help-montreal-find-its-mojo\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">heaped praise<\/a> on his teammates.\u00a0\u201cChucky\u2019s was a hard-work goal,\u201d said Weber. \u201c(<a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/d\/drouijo01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jonathan Drouin<\/a>) made a great pass to (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/g\/gallabr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brendan Gallagher<\/a>) and then Chucky battled the guy in front to get to the rebound.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While the Habs&#8217; defense is clearly still adjusting, they managed puck possession and force low percentage shots on goal. To be successful, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/j\/juliecl01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Claude Julien<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s system requires a constant process of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.tsn.ca\/radio\/montreal-690\/ward-habs-new-defensive-system-a-major-shift-1.867612\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">communication and adaptation<\/a>. It appears breaking up the partnership of <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/p\/petryje01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jeff Petry<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/a\/alzneka01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Karl Alzner<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0was\u00a0a\u00a0good decision. Alzner and <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/bennjo01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jordie Benn<\/a><\/strong> played on the second defensive line, and Petry played with <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/d\/davidbr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brandon Davidson<\/a><\/strong>. While these pairings confound the notion that puck moving defenseman ought to be paired with more stay at home defenseman, they seemed to be effective.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/metevi01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Victor Mete<\/a><\/strong> (19) played his ninth game for the Canadiens last night. The rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement give the Canadiens a choice: they can keep him in the NHL to continue to learn on the job, or return him to his junior team \u2014 the London Knights \u2014 and extend his entry-level contract by another season. If he stays with the team, he will be one year closer to becoming a restricted free agent. While far from ideal from a management point of view, sending him back to London seems unlikely. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.habseyesontheprize.com\/2017\/10\/24\/16539962\/has-victor-mete-played-his-last-game-for-montreal-canadiens-nine-game-tryout-elc-london-knghts-ohl\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Not everyone agrees<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Offensive Insights<\/h3>\n<p>The best news came on offense.\u00a0Montreal scored five goals for the first time this season. captain <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/p\/pacioma01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Max Pacioretty<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/g\/gallabr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brendan Gallagher<\/a><\/strong>, and\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/g\/galchal01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alex Galchenyuk<\/a><\/strong> scored goals. Gallagher achieved a milestone when he set\u00a0up Galchenyuk, for his 100th career assist.\u00a0Center <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/d\/drouijo01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jonathan Drouin<\/a><\/strong> also played very well with two assists and three shots on goal. On the power play, Drouin played at the point, dishing the puck and looking dangerous.<\/p>\n<h3>Next Game<\/h3>\n<p>The Canadiens face the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/nhl-teams\/kings\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Los Angeles Kings<\/a>\u00a0on Thursday, October 26. The Kings beat up on the Habs last week, so here is hoping they can return the favor at home. Game time is 7:30 pm (EST).<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo:<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"XNe3kLwmRVp0-kn_OCLOPg\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/866034150\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'XNe3kLwmRVp0-kn_OCLOPg',sig:'gv0hMYvR2xBnEnzyvmDVVk8z5qKob5fVY72qfEbCUCg=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'866034150',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For the first time in the 2017-18 season, the Montreal Canadiens won a game in regulation last night at the Bell Center. The win against divisional rival the Florida Panthers comes after one of the worst starts in franchise\u00a0history. The Montreal Canadiens Win First Game in Regulation this Season Going into the game, the Canadiens [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2253,"featured_media":18282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[265,266,585,353],"class_list":["post-18214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-canadiens","tag-alex-galchenyuk","tag-brendan-gallagher","tag-jonathan-drouin","tag-max-pacioretty"],"modified_by":"Ben Kerr","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2253"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18214\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}