Carey Price’s frustration boiled over as the Montreal Canadiens’ struggles continued.
The Canadiens suffered their sixth consecutive defeat in a 6-4 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night, marked by errors and missed opportunities. Price’s anger peaked when he shattered his stick on the crossbar after Damon Severson’s third-period goal, which proved to be the game-winner for New Jersey.
“We all know how good he is; it’s not his fault,” said teammate Brendan Gallagher, defending Price. “We made the mistakes. You can’t give up those high-danger chances. There are too many chances against us. Until we fix it, we will keep feeling like this.”
Blake Coleman led the Devils with two goals and two assists, while Travis Zajac, Miles Wood, Jesper Boqvist, and Damon Severson also found the back of the net. Nikita Gusev added three assists for his first career multi-point game. Mackenzie Blackwood was stellar in goal, making 44 saves as New Jersey secured its seventh straight win against Montreal.
New Jersey capitalized on Montreal’s aggressive play, with four goals coming off odd-man rushes or breakaways.
“They were pressing and pinching a lot,” said Devils forward Taylor Hall. “Given how their recent games have gone, they were pushing hard. If you can beat that pressure, you’re going to get odd-man rushes.”
Montreal’s goals came from Brendan Gallagher, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Joel Armia, and Artturi Lehkonen. The Canadiens are now 0-4-2 since their skid began on November 16 with an overtime loss to the Devils at Bell Centre. They have allowed at least four goals in five of their last six games.
“I don’t feel sorry for Carey Price because he’s the best goaltender in the world,” said former teammate P.K. Subban. “Is he going to bounce back? Absolutely. But he can’t be expected to be the best every night.”
Boqvist put the Devils ahead 4-3 midway through the second period, scoring off a rebound against Price. Severson extended the lead to 5-3 at 8:21 of the third, firing a shot into the top corner on an odd-man rush, prompting Price’s outburst.
Lehkonen scored 16 seconds later for Montreal, but Coleman sealed the victory for New Jersey with an empty-netter with 1:16 remaining.
Game Notes:
- P.K. Subban faced his former team for the seventh time and had a brief scuffle with Gallagher in the third period, exchanging punches after the whistle.
- Montreal’s home record stands at 6-6-2.
Up Next:
- Devils: Host the New York Rangers on Saturday.
- Canadiens: Host the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.
