Saturday, November 15, 2014

Canadiens cut down Flyers, who lose on back-to-back nights

Thanks to CBS3
Montreal,  QC  -- P.A.  Parenteau  and  Dale  Weise  each registered  a pair  of goals,  and  Michel Therrien  gained his  300th win  as an  NHL head  coach  as the  Montreal Canadiens  doubled  up the  Philadelphia Flyers, 6-3, at Bell Centre.

"I only knew it right before the game," Therrien admitted. "I'm not into that, or interested in most stats, but I really started out young in the NHL and was able  to  work with very good  teams during my  career. It's really due to the guys who played for me."

David  Desharnais  and P.K.  Subban also  lit the lamp  for the Canadiens, who vaulted  over  Tampa Bay into  first place in  the Atlantic Division thanks to their fifth straight win.

Alex  Galchenyuk added three assists, with Tomas Plekanec, Sergei Gonchar, Max Pacioretty  and  Andrei Markov totaling two  helpers each. Carey Price came up with a 26-save effort.

Brayden Schenn tallied twice and Jakub Voracek added a pair of assists for the Flyers,  who  fell  to 1-5-0  in  three  sets  of  back-to-back games  on  the young season.

Voracek  assumed  the NHL scoring lead  with 26 points, as Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby was held off the board in a 3-2 shootout win against the Rangers.

Ray  Emery was shelled  for all six goals on 28 shots -- the first time in his career he's surrendered that many to Montreal.

Parenteau's  mid-air  tip of a  Gonchar blast at 1:02  of the third period got through traffic and gave the Canadiens a 4-2 lead, but Matt Read followed up a goalmouth  scramble  and scored into  an open net  at 5:38 during a Pacioretty hooking minor.

Weise  then provided  insurance for  the hosts  on his  wrister from  the left circle which slipped through Emery's pads with 6:42 left in regulation.

"We have opportunities to clear pucks, and we don't; we're not blocking shots, not moving the puck well, not reading [plays] well enough right now," said Read of his club, which has allowed six power-play goals against in the last seven chances over the last two games. 

It looked to be a rout for the hosts early on.

Parenteau  converted  a Pacioretty rebound  from the left  side at 6:47 of the first,  just 33 seconds after Jason Akeson committed a tripping penalty in his offensive zone.

Claude  Giroux committed  another infraction  in the  defensive zone,  and the Canadiens  took  a 2-0  lead at  8:49 when  a Pacioretty  blast from the right circle bled through Emery and Desharnais converted from the doorstep.

Emery  stopped  a Manny  Malhotra breakaway shortly  into Philly's first power play,  but  was powerless  to halt  a Subban  one-timer from  the left side on another Montreal advantage at 6:17 of the second period.

"When  a  team scores  like that  early, it  takes the  momentum away from the guys," offered Flyers head coach Craig Berube. "We battled back in the second, and  we put ourselves  in position to get back in this game, but we let it get away from us again in the third."

The  visitors finally  hit the  scoreboard with  7:59 left  in the  second, as Voracek's  rush up the  right side resulted in a back pass to Schenn, who beat Price to the short side.

A  holding call on Brendan Gallagher at 13:33 nullified the Habs' fourth goal, then  a  hook by  Plekanec gave the  Flyers 50 seconds  of 5-on-3 edge. Philly failed  to  click on  the advantage,  but went to  intermission down 3-2 after Schenn shoveled a rebound home with 1:14 left.

Notes: Therrien has won 165 contests with the Canadiens in two stints (2000-03, 2012-present)  ...  Emery fell to 9-8-1  all-time vs. Montreal with one shutout. He hasn't  beaten the Habs  since Feb. 9, 2008 with Ottawa (33 saves, 6-1 W), and only gave up as many as five goals to the club on one previous occasion (April 6,  2006) ...  Voracek extended  his point  streak to  a career-best  10 games during  which he  has accumulated 19 points (5G, 14A) ... Schenn's second goal was  his 100th  NHL point ... Since  acquiring Gonchar -- who reached the 800-point  plateau  -- earlier in the  week from Dallas, the Canadiens have reeled off  four power-play  goals in two games ... Philadelphia penalty killers have allowed six goals in seven short-handed situations in the last two nights.

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