Montreal Canadiens

Markov ties Lapointe with 572 career points as Habs defeat Stars 4-1
March 29, 2017, 9:53 AM ET [119 Comments]
Jennifer B Cutler
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Big brother Jordie won the first official Benn vs Benn battle as he and the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Dallas Stars and little brother Jamie by a score of 4-1 at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night. It was a much needed win for the Canadiens as they were able to slightly extend their lead to four points over the Ottawa Senators who lost in a shootout to lead the Atlantic division. After having played poorly and losing to non playoff teams such as the Detroit Red Wings and Carolina Hurricanes a week ago, the Canadiens needed to prove that they are able to take care of business and defeat the teams that they are expected to beat.

It certainly helped that Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen came back to earth after having been named the NHL’s second star of the week with a 3-0-1 record and .959 save percentage. However against the Canadiens Lehtonen’s inconsistencies crept back as he lost control of his rebounds and allowed goals that he would almost certainly want back.

By contrast, the Canadiens were led by goaltender Carey Price who time and time again made the hard saves look easy as he kept the Canadiens in the game when they were down early 1-0 to the Stars and when the score was when they tied the game and too the lead at 1-1 and 2-1. The first line had been criticized as of late for going cold but they stepped up against the Stars with Max Pacioretty and Alexander Radulov opening and closing the scoring for the Canadiens. Brendan Gallagher and Artturi Lehkonen also scored as the Canadiens had a balanced attack with the top three lines contributing offensively.

Props:

Max Pacioretty - The captain broke a six game goalless drought by tying the game and added a helper on Radulov’s goal. It was his 34th goal of the season and came at a time that he needed to step up and re-establish himself as the team’s leader on the ice. He recently called himself out as needing to do more and perform better and more often than not, Pacioretty responds when he does so and takes his name to another level. Perfect timing for himself and the team as the playoffs approach.

Artturi Lehkonen - He extended his point streak to four games, the longest of his short NHL career with his 14th goal of the season. Lehkonen has been the Canadiens most consistent forward in that stretch as he has been enjoying some nice chemistry with Andrew Shaw and Alex Galchenyuk. Lehkonen knows how to step up on the bigger stage through his experiences with Frolunda winning the SHL last year as well his time with team Finland at the World Junior Championships. Nobody should be surprised at his strong play of late. While Lehtonen would like that quasi knuckleball back, it still took a lot of skill for Lehkonen to one time that puck coming off of a bouncing pass and being able to hit the far side of the net.

Andrei Markov - Congratulations to Markov for recording his 572 point and tying Guy Lapointe for second in scoring by a Canadiens defenseman. Brendan Gallagher referred to Markov as ‘underrated’ and he is not wrong in saying so. Markov is one of the best passers in the league and has a history of making his defense partners rich. The common denominator though has always been Markov. He makes the team go. There is a reason why coaches always count on him in every situation on the ice. He simply thinks the game on a different level. When we had all but written him off two years ago after his play had deteriorated at the end of the season and in the playoffs, Markov came back the following season and made the necessary adjustments to not just prolong his career but continue to play at an incredibly high level. He and Shea Weber have made for a formidable first pairing and Head coach Claude Julien is managing their minutes to keep them fresh for the playoffs, when they will be leaned on. There is little doubt anymore that Markov will be ready.

Neither here nor there:

Nathan Beaulieu got off to a rough start by causing the Stars only goal of the game early in the first period. However, he was able to move on from his gaffe and improve his play as the game went on. He dropped his gloves to defend what he felt was a dirty hit on Dwight King. A fight that was appreciated by his teammates and continued to spark them as Pacioretty tied the game shortly thereafter. It also likely went a long way in making King feel like part of the team as his own play improved following the hit and fight.

Al Montoya was supposed to start against the Stars but suffered a minor injury in practice. Zach Fucale was called up from the ECHL Brampton Beasts to backup Price. Montoya is considered day to day. It was much easier to get Fucale to Montreal from Brampton than it would have been to recall Charlie Lindgren from Newfoundland the same day. This is a problem that the Canadiens will no longer have when the team moves from St. John’s to Laval next season. It is certainly a loss for the Rock who have supported an AHL franchise so well and passionately for many years but from a business perspective the move makes too much sense for the Canadiens. Hopefully one day another team will land in St. John’s.

Despite just a two year difference in age the Benn brothers had never played on opposing teams in the same leagues as they made their way to the NHL. The Benn’s were rarely on the ice at the same time, likely to their mother’s delight. Now that the game is over, Jamie can now follow up and join Habs nation as he told Pierre Houde of RDS:

“I’ll probably become a Canadiens fan when the playoffs start”.

Alexander Radulov scored for the first time in nine games, just when his beard is getting back into form. Coincidence?

The Canadiens host the Florida Panthers on Thursday before they hit the road to visit Tampa Bay and Florida.