Montreal 4 Atlanta 3 OT (Philips Arena)
On Dec.12, Atlanta scored an overtime goal to beat Montreal 4-3 at Philips Arena. For tonight's result, just flip the numbers. On Dec. 21, it was the Canadiens getting an overtime goal to win 4-3 in the same building.
Just over a week ago, we were astonished to see the Thrashers dominate the Canadiens in the second period, out shooting them 16-4. Tonight, Atlanta didn't wait that long. The shots were 18-3 for the Thrashers in the first period.
Shots directed at the net (including shots on goal, missed and blocked shots) on December 12 were 67-34 in favor of the Thrashers, a differential of 33. Tonight Atlanta's advantage was 29 with shots directed at the net being 73-44 for the Thrashers.
The Canadiens now rank 29th in the league in average shots per game with 26.7. Habs are 24th in shots against.
Numbers aside, the Habs were fortunate to win this game. While some will point to a porous defense as the culprit, I would suggest that the Canadiens spend far too little time with the puck in the offensive zone. Jacques Martin's passive system has the Canadiens playing retreat, surrendering the neutral ...
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Article written by Rocket All Habs
Canadiens-Thrashers: Habs Escape Atlanta with Two Points on an OT Win
December 21st, 2009 by Rocket All Habs Leave a reply »
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