The Habs Are the Have Nots: Detroit 4, Montreal 3

Pete Flynn

• 3 min read Front Page

Hronek is out. Daley is in. Bernier is back in net.

Somehow, the Wings have had Montreal’s number this season, with Bernier looking to win his fourth game against Les Habitants.

He has an uphill battle, with Detroit scoring very few goals lately, as our own @helmerroids immortalized here:

First Period

Bernier makes the first big save of the night, stopping Petry off a pass from Drouin. Detroit’s trying an interesting gambit of trying to lull Carey Price into a false sense of security by not taking a shot on goal through the first five minutes.

Here we go. Athanasiou loses the puck at the defensive blue line, and Brent Thompson makes it 1-0 on a 2 on 0.

Coming back from the second commercial break, Detroit has one shot on the board. As soon as they have the puck, they seem to be inventing new ways to give the puck to Montreal.

Detroit finally got a decent chance with just over 5 minutes remaining in the period. Bowey took a one-time slapper from the circle, but Price didn’t have too much trouble with it. Detroit takes a penalty, and we’ll get the game’s first power play.

Montreal keeps the puck in the zone for over a minute, then Petry ripped a slapshot past Bernier to make it 2-0.

Hey, remember that time when we lost to Montreal 10-1, and I was on recap duty? Just thinking about that for some reason.

Second Period

Detroit decides to try something weird this period and not wait ten minutes to get a shot on net. It ends up working as Fabbri cuts the lead to 2-1 with a beauty of a shot from the circle.

Detroit goes offside on a potential three on one following the goal. Mick points out that you don’t get chances like that very often, unless of course you are playing against Detroit.

Halfway through the period, Detroit is starting to apply more pressure. Fabbri seems to be involved in most of the Detroit chances.

Max Domi walks Lindstrom, who had to trip him to keep him from going in all alone on Bernier. Montreal goes back to the power play.

Nick Suzuki makes it 3-1 on a beauty of a passing play.

With 20 seconds left in the period, Detroit will go to their first power play of the game. Detroit doesn’t get any good chances, but they will start the third period with 1:40 of carryover power play time.

Third Period

Dylan Larkin nearly scored on the carryover power play time, but the score remains 3-1 Montreal.

GOAL! Athanasiou takes a beautiful pass from Biega (no, seriously), settled the puck down and went backand to roof the puck on Carey Price. 3-2.

Anthony Mantha holds up at the blue line and finds Mike Green all alone. Green doesn’t get everything on the shot, but it beats Price five hole to tie the game!

WHAT. IS. HAPPENING?

Detroit goes back to the power play with 8 minutes left.

Nothing doing on the power play, but that doesn’t matter because Andreas Athanasiou scores to make it 4-3!

Bertuzzi drives the net and dishes to the trailing Athanasiou, who beats Carey Price to the goalie’s right side.

Madison Bowey decides to make it interesting and takes a holding penalty with 4:32 left.

Detroit is fortunate that Nick Suzuki breaks his stick on a good chance following sustained zone pressure for a while.

Joel Armia takes a penalty with 11 seconds left in the penalty, and Detroit is in a good position to close this one out.

And they do! Athanasiou came close to getting the hat trick with the empty net, but Detroit wins! Just like we all expected this entire way.