Canadians

The Canadiens suffer a humiliating defeat against the Jets
Félix Forget
The Canadiens suffer a humiliating defeat against the Jets

Tonight, the Canadiens hosted the Winnipeg Jets at the Bell Centre. For the occasion, the Habs wore their Hometown Remix uniform for the first time this season.

Martin St-Louis was still without the services of his captain, Nick Suzuki. The lineup was therefore the same as the one that faced the Penguins on Saturday night.

And just as was the case on Saturday, Jacob Fowler got the start tonight.

The Jets, meanwhile, were looking to snap a nine-game losing streak.

Here's the lineup Scott Arniel sent out onto the ice.

Early in the first period, the Canadiens were able to get on the board. A nice play by Florian Xhekaj set up Owen Beck for a goal with a solid shot.

Assists went to Florian and his brother Arber.

Then, late in the period, the team was able to double its lead. A great individual effort by Josh Anderson allowed him to fire a backhand shot that beat Stuart Skinner.

That's already Anderson's seventh goal of the season—he's really playing some great hockey this year.

After 20 minutes, the score was 2-0 in favor of the Habs.

Early in the second period, the Jets' lack of discipline gave the Habs a 5-on-3 power play… and that finally allowed the Canadiens' power play to get on the board.

Cole Caufield capitalized on a generous rebound to extend his team's lead.

The rest of the second period belonged to Jacob Fowler. The young goaltender was called upon several times… and he was unbeatable.

He frustrated the Jets' top scorers time and time again.

After 40 minutes, the score was 3-0 in favor of the Habs.

Right at the start of the third period, the Canadiens found themselves on the power play again. And once again, Cole Caufield was able to find the back of the net.

A magnificent shot allowed the diminutive sniper to score his 10th of the season.

Then, a few minutes later, Arber Xhekaj and Tyrel Bauer dropped the gloves. It was a heavyweight brawl.

Xhekaj, who hadn't fought since last January, was the one who “won” the fight. It's worth noting that all the Canadiens players, including Jacob Fowler, went over to the bench to show Xhekaj some love.

And shortly after, we saw Florian (who had just come out of the penalty box) drop the gloves against Adam Lowry.

Let's just say it didn't end as well for him as it did for his brother.

Jacob Fowler then made an absolutely phenomenal save that felt like the final blow.

He was in complete control.

Except that the Jets then started scoring… and not just a little. Tyrel Bauer, Morgan Barron, and Kyle Connor (twice) scored four goals in 2:06.

The result? Against all odds, the game went into overtime.

And after seeing both goalies make key saves in overtime, the inevitable happened: the Jets completed their wild comeback to secure the win.

Dylan Samberg sealed the victory for his team—the Jets' first win in 10 games.

Final score: 5-4 Winnipeg (OT)

The Canadiens will be back in action Thursday night when the Utah Mammoth come to town. We'll see if Nick Suzuki is able to return to the lineup for the game.

Overtime

– Jacob Fowler looked like an absolutely unbeatable goaltender… until the Jets started scoring nonstop late in the game. The kid had a very solid night, but it was tough to keep the door shut. That said, it's hard to be too critical when you consider that without him, the Habs would have been crushed tonight.

– The Xhekaj brothers, for their part, brought a lot of toughness and physical play tonight. In particular, we saw both of them end up in the penalty box together in the third period (did that wake up the Jets?) much to the delight of the crowd, who gave them a warm round of applause. Yes, Montreal still loves the Xhekajs.

– The Canadiens' power play finally broke through tonight. Cole Caufield scored two goals on the power play, ending a streak of 20 scoreless power plays for the Habs. The eventual returns of Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov will help.

– The curse of the alternate jersey continues for the Canadiens. The Hometown Remix jerseys aren't much luckier than the Reverse Retro ones were.