HABS SURGE INTO LOCKOUT-SHORTENED SEASON
MARKOV PUTS FORK IN DEVILS
Canadiens defenceman Andrei Markov, left, celebrates his overtime strike against New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur with teammates Erik Cole and David Desharnais Sunday night at the Bell Centre. It was the team-leading fourth goal for Markov as the Habs, playing without forward Max Pacioretty, who underwent an emergency appendectomy Saturday, improved to 3-1 in the lockout-shortened NHL season. Stories,
The skinny: Andrei Markov scored his fourth goal of the season at 4:22 of overtime to give the Canadiens a 4-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday night at the Bell Centre. The Canadiens went on the power play after Erik Cole drove hard to the net and drew a holding penalty from Andy Greene.
A sense of belonging: Any thought of returning Alex Galchenyuk to junior should have ended with his two-assist performance. It was not so much the assists but what he did before them. He set up fellow rookie Brendan Gallagher for his first NHL goal to give the Canadiens a 2-0 lead at 2:25 of the first period. Galchenyuk won a battle for the puck in the neutral zone and delivered a perfect pass to the other Gally on an oddman rush. Galchenyuk also knocked down a clearing pass at the blue line and passed ahead to Brandon Prust at 2:00 of the third period. Spreading the wealth: All the Canadiens’ scoring in regulation came from players on the bottom two lines. Fourth-liner Ryan White opened the scoring when Martin Brodeur had trouble handling Alexei Emelin’s shot from the right point. He left a rebound and White came in from the left wing and scored on a backhander at 2:25 of the first period. Kovalchuk misses chances: Devils star Ilya Kovalchuk was limited to one assist but he came close on two scoring opportunities. He had a breakaway in the second period but didn’t get everything he wanted on the shot. And he had a chance to win the game 40 seconds into overtime but Carey Price got a break when the shot hit a post. Streak ends: The win ended an eight-game losing streak for the Canadiens against the Devils at the Bell Centre. It was the Canadiens’ first home win over the Devils since March 11, 2008, when Montreal won 4-0. Brodeur had been in goal for seven of those wins. Scoreline of the night: Rene Bourque had three shots on goal, three shots blocked and seven shots that missed the net. The good news is that the last miss came off the end boards and led to Markov’s overtime winner. Medical update: The Canadiens say Max Pacioretty will be out 3-4 weeks after undergoing an appendectomy Saturday. The good news is that it was minimally invasive laprascopic surgery that allowed Pacioretty to return home Sunday. Given Pacioretty’s history of returning quickly from injuries, don’t be surprised if he takes a few days off that three-week prognosis. Defenceman Tomas Kaberle is day-to-day after catching a puck in the face during practice Saturday. What’s next: The Canadiens face their first back-to-back games this week when they are home to the Winnipeg Jets Tuesday (7:30 p.m., TSN-Habs, RDS, TSN-690 Radio) and then travel to Ottawa on Wednesday to play the Senators (7 p.m., TSN, RDS, TSN-690 Radio).