After just 20 seconds of play, the Ducks opened the scoring with a goal from the blue line by Cutter Gauthier; however, the goal was disallowed for offside after a few minutes of discussion and review among the referees. Yes, the goal was disallowed, but that doesn't change the fact that Samuel Montembeault let in a bad goal.
A few minutes later, the Ducks actually opened the scoring for real! It was forward Gauthier who truly scored his first goal of the game, assisted by Carlsson and Kreider, on a 2-on-1 following a somewhat slow defensive backcheck from the second line.
Subsequently, the Canadiens responded with a goal from Nick Suzuki on a reception from the top of the crease with passes from Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield to tie the game 1-1 and thus get back into the match.
The CH didn't stop there; Lane Hutson made it 2-1 for the Canadiens on the power play from about the same spot as Nick Suzuki to score his 11th of the current campaign, already 5 goals more than last season.
The Ducks, however, equalized shortly after, another shot from the blue line beat Monty; it was Radko Gudas's shot that fooled the 29-year-old goalie. When the puck arrived at Samuel, he was already on his pads, so it was a technical error and possibly also a lack of confidence.
I don't know why, but I feel like I'm repeating myself, after a second period where the Canadiens managed to impose themselves with a bit more scoring chances than the Ducks, Montembeault faltered again on a shot from the blue line, this time while shorthanded on a shot from Jackson LaCombe, but be careful, we shouldn't place all the blame on Monty either, as the team in front of him doesn't always help him as much as the Hurricanes team helps Brandon Bussi, for example.
In the third period now, Leo Carlsson gave his team a 4-2 lead on a 2-on-1 assisted by Creider and Trouba.
Martin Saint-Louis's squad could have given up, but no, the Canadiens scored 3 quick goals in response to the Ducks' 4th goal, Alexandre Carrier scored once and Cole Caufield added 2 goals to his tally of 37 goals this season.
At the end of the third period, Ducks forward Creider tied the game, as he deflected Trouba's shot at the blue line to send everyone into overtime.
After an overtime largely dominated by the Canadiens and even with the help of a power play, the Canadiens couldn't finish off the Ducks in overtime.
In the shootout, Alex Killorn gave his team the victory with a wrist shot that beat Samuel Montembeault.
In conclusion, the Canadiens' performance was quite so-so; yes, there was a comeback in the 3rd period to take the lead 5-4, but there is also the fact that the CH let a 1-goal lead slip away and had a full 2-minute power play. Personally, I don't know if it's because Kent Hughes didn't go out to get personnel before the trade deadline that makes me feel this way, but I find that the flaws of the Quebec team were even more visible in tonight's game, with several turnovers and an average performance from the goalie between the posts.
The Montreal Canadiens will play tomorrow against the Los Angeles Kings to finish their trip in California.