On this evening of tribute to Guy Lafleur, the Montreal Canadiens were no match for the Boston Bruins and lost the flag 5 to 3, Sunday evening, at the Bell Centre.
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It was the first CH clash at home since the death of the legendary number 10. Before the duel, the Habs scrolled through images of the famous number 10 on the icy surface of their amphitheater. They were accompanied by the musical piece “L’essentiel” by Ginette Reno. The CH then presented a touching video, which notably included the voice of Guy Lafleur and several of his best moments in the uniform of the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge.
The crowd present also chanted a well-felt “Guy, Guy, Guy” and gave the legendary hockey player a standing ovation for about ten minutes.
The fans however did not have the chance to get very excited at the start of the match. The Bruins quickly took the lead, via the stick of Patrice Bergeron. Before the end of the first period, Erik Haula doubled the visitors’ lead thanks to a penalty shot. It was Mike Hoffman who was caught red-handed in this case.
In the second period, Josh Anderson allowed fans to jump out of their seats for the first time in the game. Benefiting from the end of a numerical advantage the number 17 of the Canadian moved the ropes. It was the 10th shot of the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge in this duel.
Haula and Charlie McAvoy restored a comfortable lead to the “Oursons” before the end of the median engagement, but the Canadian had not said his last word.
Hoffman redeemed himself from his first-period blunder by allowing his side to improve his success rate with an extra man. The veteran hit the mark in the first moments of the third period, while Marc McLaughlin was in jail. Moments later, Nick Suzuki narrowed the gap to just one success with his 21st of the current season. Fans enthusiastically encouraged their favorites, but it was not enough to allow the Sainte-Flanelle skaters to complete the ascent. Bergeron completed the scoring in an abandoned cage.
By virtue of this setback, the Canadiens extended their losing streak to nine games. He will try to put an end to it on Wednesday night, during a visit to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Rangers.