Canadiens still having Devil of a time
NEW JERSEY 6 MONTREAL 4
MONTREAL — Carey Price repeatedly smashing his stick on the crossbar in frustration perfectly summed up Montreal’s current struggles.
The Canadiens lost their sixth straight game in a mistake-filled 6-4 defeat to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.
Price broke his stick after New Jersey’s fifth goal — Damon Severson’s game winner in the third period.
“We know how good he is, it’s not his fault,” said Brendan Gallagher of Price. “That’s on us. We make the mistakes. You can’t give up these high-danger chances.
“Too many chances against. Until we correct it, we’re going to continue having this feeling.”
Montreal’s current six-game winless streak (0-4-2) began Nov. 16 with an overtime loss to the Devils at Bell Centre. Claude Julien’s men have conceded at least four goals in five of those six games.
Four of New Jersey’s goals came off odd-man rushes or breakaways.
“They were aggressive, they were pinching,” said Devils star forward Taylor Hall. “With their game lately, they were going to be a little overzealous to get in and pinch. If you can beat that forecheck, that pressure, there are going to be odd-man rushes.”
The Canadiens (11-9-5) outshot the Devils 48-35.
Gallagher made it 1-1 at 7:41 of the first by poking the puck between Mackenzie Blackwood’s pads. Travis Zajac scored 36 seconds later by redirecting a bouncing puck past Price on a 2-on-1 with Nikita Gusev.
After Jesperi Kotkaniemi levelled the score 1:40 into the second — the young centre’s first goal since Oct. 9 — Miles Wood made it 3-2 for New Jersey 1:36 later on a breakaway with Montreal caught changing.
Moments after Hall failed to score on a partial break, Joel Armia got the Canadiens level again with a wrist shot from the face-off dot, glove-side on Blackwood at 9:02.
But the Devils (9-11-4) were quick to respond again as Jesper Boqvist put Nico Hischier’s rebound behind Price 1:26 later.