Montreal Canadiens end season with explosive 10-2 victory against Panthers
Montreal Canadiens end season with explosive 10-2 victory against Panthers
It was a fiery end to the 2021-22 season for the Montreal Canadiens which beat the Florida Panthers 10-2 Friday night at the Bell Centre.
The Panthers, winners of the Presidents' Trophy as the best team in the NHL during the regular season, had given several team stars time off. Jordan Harris, Mike Hoffman and Cole Caufield scored on their first three shots on goal.
Forwards Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov and Claude Giroux were notably left out. Also, forward Anton Lundell and defenseman Gustav Forsling were left off the ice even though they were in uniform.
Among other backup players, Jonas Johansson, third in the hierarchy of Panther goalkeepers, was sent to the slaughterhouse.
Caufield used the night to score the first hat trick of his career.
Montreal Canadiens' Cole Caufield looks up at the replay of his third goal against the Florida Panthers for the hat trick during third period NHL hockey action in Montreal on Friday, April 29, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
Brendan Gallagher, Christian Dvorak, Jake Evans and Mathieu Perreault each had a goal and an assist, while Tyler Pitlick also scored for the Canadiens (22-49-11), which capped off its worst campaign since 1939- 40.
Carey Price was back in goal two days after meeting the doctor in New York who operated on his knee this summer. He stopped 37 shots.
Harris kicked things off with his first NHL goal 1:57 into the game. Hoffman pulled away at 4:18, and Caufield scored his first goal of the night just 12 seconds later.
Gallagher returned to the charge at 12:23, on the power play, following a cross pass from Perreault.
The Canadian's lead could have been even bigger after 20 minutes, but Alexander Romanov reached the post, then Evans ran into Johansson moments later.
Chiarot gave the Panthers a glimmer of hope by closing the lead to 4-1 with 1:37 left in the first period, but Caufield got the ball rolling for the Habs again after 1:33 in the second period.
A spotlight highlights the retired number of Guy Lafleur as the Montreal Canadiens face the Florida Panthers during second period NHL hockey action in Montreal on Friday, April 29, 2022. Funeral services for the former Montreal Canadiens player who died of cancer will be held Tuesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
Perreault then scored from the face-off circle at 3:55. Evans and Dvorak also scored before the end of the second.
Caufield completed his hat trick at 8:12 of the third period, then Pitlick scored his first goal of the season 1:39 later.
With the big number 10 on the board, spectators began to celebrate by chanting 'Guy! Guy! Guy!' in honor of Guy Lafleur, who passed away on April 22.
The homage to Guy Lafleur will take place Tuesday, May 3.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 29, 2022.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is pushing for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside' from his role examining the issue of foreign interference before he embarks on public hearings.
New Democrat MP Jenny Kwan said Monday that Canada's spy agency has confirmed her long-held belief she is being targeted by the Chinese government, as the prime minister granted the NDP's wish to allow more party members to review top-secret intelligence.
William Karlsson, William Carrier and Jonathan Marchessault are finally getting another chance in the Stanley Cup Final, after the first one that came so quick for the Vegas Golden Knights.
Eastern Conference finals Most Valuable Player Jimmy Butler scored 28 points, and Caleb Martin had 26 points and 10 rebounds to help the eighth-seeded Miami Heat beat the Celtics 103-84 in Game 7 on Monday night and advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in four seasons.
Canadian political leaders and parliamentarians are denouncing a new law passed in Uganda that imposes harsh penalties, including the death penalty, for certain cases involving homosexuality.
There's a heightened risk of wildfires across the country during what has been one of the earliest fire seasons on record. From British Columbia to Nova Scotia, here's where the risk is highest.
New research from Penn State University found certain factors can contribute to reducing what’s known as the 'urban heat island' effect, and that climate knowledge can contribute to better city planning and design.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
Danielle Smith will return to the Alberta legislature as premier after the United Conservative Party won the provincial election over Rachel Notley's NDP on Monday night.
One long-time electoral tradition came to an end on election day, when Postmedia announced there would be no printed newspaper announcing the winner in Calgary.
The rural Oxford County intersection where an OPP officer and a school bus driver were killed Monday was less than a month away from becoming a four-way stop when the deadly crash happened.
It was a night of indecision at Waterloo region's catholic school board as trustees went back and forth trying to find the best approach to fill a vacant seat.
On Monday, Fraser Health provided two senior leaders to address the latest letter outlining risks to patients, allegations of muzzling, and pleas for help from emergency physicians in the health authority's hospitals.
The president of the BC Trucking Association is issuing renewed calls for safety after a trailer truck smashed into an overhead pass Monday morning in Langley.
Danielle Smith will return to the Alberta legislature as premier after the United Conservative Party won the provincial election over Rachel Notley's NDP on Monday night.
Over 170,000 elementary and high school students weighed in on the Alberta election and the NDP had to hope the real voters were listening, because they won the kids' vote.
Windsor city council voted Monday in favour of adopting a master plan with high hopes for City Hall Square and a so-called civic esplanade stretching down to the river
A united front was on full display Monday as community leaders, politicians, business people, unions and educators gathered together at Windsor City Hall to ensure the NextStar Energy battery plant deal gets closed.
Doctors in their final year of training, called residency, can choose to do a one-month rotation at the Shelter Health Initiative (SHI) caring for Windsor’s homeless population.
The first twister of 2023 in the country touched down near Regina over the weekend, according to an analysis from the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP).
One person from Estevan, Sask. is dead and another is seriously injured following a collision between a pickup truck and a motorcycle on May 28 near Fortuna, North Dakota.
The Sandy Hill Child Care Centre has an extra two weeks to get its new home up to code months after a fire destroyed its original site on Wilbrod Street.
Ottawa police are praising a local dad for quickly calling for help Sunday afternoon when he accidentally locked his keys in his car, and his infant child along with them.
Ontario Provincial Police say a driver from Augusta Township is facing an impaired driving charge after someone on Highway 416 spotted a vehicle moving erratically.
In a province where there are vast distances between cities and towns, one local group is hoping to get public support for an idea to bridge those gaps with a rail line.
Montreal Canadiens' Cole Caufield looks up at the replay of his third goal against the Florida Panthers for the hat trick during third period NHL hockey action in Montreal on Friday, April 29, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
A spotlight highlights the retired number of Guy Lafleur as the Montreal Canadiens face the Florida Panthers during second period NHL hockey action in Montreal on Friday, April 29, 2022. Funeral services for the former Montreal Canadiens player who died of cancer will be held Tuesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
The homage to Guy Lafleur will take place Tuesday, May 3.
