The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers with a score of 4-3. The Canadiens lead the series 2-1 in this best-of-five series. Both teams played at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario. Here’s a recap of game one between the Canadiens and Penguins.
Who would’ve thought this series would turn out the way it has been going? But, you wouldn’t think that way from how the Penguins played this period. However, the Canadiens did score the game’s first goal from captain Shea Weber. Now the Penguins weren’t dominant on both ends of the ice per se. It was just offensively they looked like they were the better team. They went 2-for-2 on the power play this period with goals coming from forwards Patric Hornqvist and Jason Zucker. The Penguins also looked like they had some momentum going into the intermission and the second period.
Pittsburgh went into the second period with a 2-1 lead.
Pittsburgh carried that momentum from the last period to this period. They were the quicker team getting to the puck and cleaner on their zone entries. Penguins forward Teddy Blueger extended their lead to two goals at the 14:25 mark in the period. However, the No. 12 seed Canadiens will not give in. They climbed up the mountain to tie the game at three from forwards Jonathan Drouin and Paul Byron. Montreal stole what was all of Pittsburgh’s momentum going into the third period.
The game is tied at three heading into the third period.
This period was all about Montreal. They were the better team offensively and defensively. And, to top it off, the same guy who had the overtime game winning goal in Game 1 had the game winning goal this game. If you said Canadiens forward Jeff Petry as your answer then you’re correct. The Canadiens were able to get away from the high pressure Penguins defense and get scoring chances. They also had a more solid defensive game this period. However, this game was actually closer than it looked in terms of shots on goal. The Penguins only outshot the Canadiens by two this entire game 33-31.
Montreal won the game 4-3 and took the series lead 2-1.
Pittsburgh faces elimination in Game 4. The Penguins need to establish their defensive game that helped them win three Stanley Cups in six seasons. They also can’t leave their goaltender Matt Murray out to dry hoping that he’ll save goals.
Third Star: Paul Byron
Second Star: Ben Chiarot
First Star: Shea Weber
Game 4 of the Penguins-Canadiens series is on Aug. 7 at 4:00 pm EST. Should the Canadiens win Game 4, they could be the first team to pull off an upset. The Canadiens are the No. 12 seed and the Penguins are the No. 5 seed. There are three other series matchups with potential upsets as well. (Coyotes-Predators, Blue Jackets-Maple Leafs and Blackhawks-Oilers). All three of these games play on Aug. 7 as well.
