In Montreal, Josh Leivo scored just past the midway point of the third period to give the Calgary Flames a 3-1 lead, after the Canadiens had pressed hard for a tying goal. 
That goal took the wind out of the Habs and Calgary won, 4-1, on Wednesday.
“I think we’re pretty focused on how we have to play to beat Montreal,” Calgary head coach Darryl Sutter said. “We knew that last night we were going to have to check our [rear ends] off to try and win that game. We did, and I think that in the first period we came out and played really well.”
Jacob Markstrom made 26 saves to get the win for the Flames.
Brett Kulak was the lone goal scorer for Montreal.
“We’re not looking for any excuses,” Kulak said. “We know it was in our favor to come in and have the jump on them, and they played hard and it’s that time of year. It’s going to be tight all game and it’s just the little things that are going to make the difference between winning or losing.”
The Canadiens have lost four of their last five.
“We need to do a better job of clearing out the net front and giving our goalies a better chance to see the puck because if they’re shooting from that far out, they should be able to see the puck,” the Canadiens’ Jeff Petry said.
Mark Giordano had a goal for the Flames.
“Our games against Montreal have been great,” Markstrom said. “I’ve been getting a lot of support and just been feeling good.”
Noah Hanifin gave the Flames a 1-0 lead in the first period.
“We have to play fast against these guys,” Hanifin said. “And I thought we’ve done that the last few times we’ve played them. But we’ve got four more games against them and they’re going to ramp up. But we’re going to ramp up as well and it’s going to be a huge game coming up.”
Sean Monahan iced the win with an empty-netter with 70 seconds left on the clock.
Jake Allen made 30 saves in the loss.
“He battles and he comes ready to play, and I think he’s given us great performances every time he’s in the net,” Kulak said.
You must be logged in to post a comment.