NHL-worst Avs bury Canadiens in shutout
A 4-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche — the team with the worst record in the NHL — extended the Canadiens’ winless streak to four games (0-3-1) Tuesday at the Pepsi Center and it may be time to start panicking a little bit. Carey Price gave up two goals in the first 2:25 as he lost for the eighth time in his last 12 starts (3-8-1). At the other end of the ice, the team that crushed the Avalanche 10-1 at the Bell Centre on Dec. 10 was shut out for the second consecutive game.
Division race tightens up: The Canadiens are eight points up on Ottawa and Toronto in the Atlantic Division standings, but those numbers don’t tell the entire story. Ottawa, which dropped a 6-0 decision to the St. Louis Blues at home Tuesday night, has four games in hand on Montreal. The Maple Leafs posted a 3-1 home-ice win over Dallas to pull even with Ottawa in points. Toronto has played three fewer games than Montreal.
Canadiens come out flat: The Avalanche had the first four shots on goal and scored on two of them. The game was only 30 seconds old when Mikko Rantanen scored the first of his three goals on a shot from the point. It appeared Price was screened by his own defenceman, Shea Weber, on the shot. There was no screen when fourth-liner Andreas Martinsen scored his third goal of the season at 2:25. He rushed up the left wing and beat Price on the short side. This is a shot the goaltender has to stop. The Canadiens outshot the Avalanche 12-7 in the first period but Calvin Pickard had only one difficult save. Barberio makes contribution:
Mark Barberio, who was claimed on waivers from the Canadiens last week, picked up an assist when Rantanen gave the Avalanche a 3-0 lead at 13:10. Rantanen tipped Barberio’s shot from the blue line for his second goal of the night. Barberio also picked up an assist when Rantanen completed his hat trick at 6:01 of the third period. Power play stuck in reverse:
Montreal came up empty on five power plays Tuesday and managed only two shots with the extra man. They have gone 0-for-11 over the past five games. Up next: The Canadiens are in Glendale Thursday to play the Arizona Coyotes (9 p.m., Sportsnet East, RDS, TSN Radio 690).