Montreal Canadiens shooters were frustrated by a 34-save performance from Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom.

GAME RECAP | Montreal Canadiens 1 vs Calgary Flames 2 | Final

Canadiens Lineup

Forwards

15 Alex Newhook - 14 Nick Suzuki - 17 Josh Anderson
22 Cole Caufield - 28 Christian Dvorak - 20 Juraj Slafkovsky
70 Tanner Pearson - 91 Sean Monahan - 11 Brendan Gallagher
56 Jesse Ylonen - 71 Jake Evans - 49 Rafael Harvey-Pinard

Defensemen
8 Mike Matheson - 52 Justin Barron
21 Kaiden Guhle - 26 Johnathan Kovacevic
72 Arber Xhekaj - 27 Gustav Lindstrom

Goaltenders

Starter: 35 Sam Montembeault 
Alternate: 30 Cayden Primeau

Out of the lineup

Scratches: Jake Allen, Michael Pezzetta
Injuries: Carey Price (knee), Chris Wideman (back), Kirby Dach (knee), David Savard (hand), Jordan Harris (upper body)

Game Report

The Montreal Canadiens beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-1 on October 23rd. That's the last time the Habs earned a victory in regulation time. Since then Montreal has played 11 games without a 60-minute win, including seven in November.

Much of the Canadiens struggles can be tied to their 5-on-5 play. While Montreal has improved the power play to respectable status, the same can't be said for the performance at 5-on-5..

Juraj Slafkovsky hasn't scored a goal at even strength. Perhaps surprisingly, Cole Caufield has just one goal playing 5-on-5. And of course Josh Anderson and Rafael Harvey-Pinard have yet to score a goal of any kind.

This team that is built around a system that favors offensive play isn't getting it done.

And when the Canadiens were in position for a higher danger scoring chance in this game, Jacob Markstrom provided the answer for the Flames.

At the other end of the ice, Montreal wasn't benefitting from the same quality of goaltending. Sam Montembeault was surprised on a turnaround shot by Nazem Kadri. It was a weak goal allowed early in the second period that opened the scoring in the game.

On defense it was a tough night for the pairing of Gustav Lindstrom and Arber Xhekaj. The third pairing on defense was on the ice for both Calgary goals. Lindstrom scored the Canadiens only goal but played just 10:19 in the game.

There was a close call for Kaiden Guhle in the second period. The skate of Elias Lindholm caught Guhle in the face. Guhle went down the tunnel to the dressing room but returned quickly with small cuts to his lip and neck.

Game Statistics

Canadiens (7-7-2)
Shots: 35
Face-off %: 50.0
Power play: 0/4
Penalty minutes: 6
Hits: 18
Blocks: 9

Flames (5-8-2)
Shots: 29
Face-off %: 50.0
Power play: 0/3
Penalty minutes: 8
Hits: 12
Blocks: 20

Scoring Summary

Canadiens Scorers
1st period: --
2nd period: Lindstrom (1)
3rd period: --
OT: --
SO: --

Flames Scorers
1st period: --
2nd period: Kadri (3), Zary (3)
3rd period: --
OT: --
SO: --

Goaltenders
MTL: Montembeault (L) 3-3-1
CGY: Markstrom (W) 3-6-1

Canadiens Player of the Game

Kaiden Guhle - As he has been doing all season long, Guhle provided stability to the back end and with Johnathan Kovacevic formed the Canadiens most effective defensive pairing.

Video Highlights

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K4w50cP7ns[/embed]

Post-game Quotes

Josh Anderson

“It's frustrating right now especially when you have opportunities to help your team out tie game or finish it. I just got to dig deeper, bear down."

Kaiden Guhle

"It’s a fast sport, accidents happen. I'm glad there were no consequences. It was  scary."

Game Preview

Monahan and the Canadiens Welcome the Flames | PREVIEW: CGY @ MTL

Up Next

The Canadiens continue their four game home stand as they host the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night. Puck drop is 7 pm ET.

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