Excerpt from 'Habs Hockey Report' of host Amy Johnson commenting on Cayden Primeau's first goaltending start of the season. GAME RECAP | Columbus Blue Jackets vs Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens vs Columbus Blue Jackets [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNzg5ODM5NjU2MzYzODky/canadiens.png] Montreal Canadiens vs Columbus Blue Jackets CANADIENS LINEUP Forwards 22 Cole Caufield 14 Nick Suzuki 49 Rafael Harvey-Pinard 17 Josh Anderson 15 Alex Newhook 20 Juraj Slafkovsky 70 Tanner Pearson 91 Sean Monahan 11 Brendan Gallagher 55 Michael Pezzetta 71 Jake Evans 56 Jesse Ylonen Defensemen 8 Mike Matheson 52 Justin Barron 54 Jordan Harris 26 Johnathan Kovacevic 72 Arber Xhekaj 27 Gustav Lindstrom Goaltenders Starter: 35 Sam Montembeault Alternate: 34 Jake Allen Out of the lineup Scratches: Joel Armia, Cayden Primeau Injuries: Christian Dvorak (lower body), Carey Price (lower body), Chris Wideman (upper body), Kirby Dach (lower body), Kaiden Guhle (upper body), David Savard (hand) GAME REPORT Cole Caufield scored the deciding goal with 42 seconds left in overtime as the Canadiens beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3. It was Caufield's fourth goal of the season and his second game-winner in extra time. Montreal survived a Columbus power play for the first minute of overtime with Brendan Gallagher in the box. Columbus had leads of 2-0 after the first period and 3-1 in the second frame. Sound familiar? Like the recent experience of the Canadiens, they had trouble holding the lead with Sean Monahan scoring the only goal of the third period to tie the score. The two teams may find themselves in a race near the bottom of the standings as the season progresses. Both organizations are rebuilding with the Blue Jackets having the youngest roster in the NHL, and the Canadiens icing the second youngest. A few weeks ago there seemed to be consensus around the NHL projected standings: the Columbus Blue Jackets are likely to finish eighth in the Metropolitan Division and it's probable that the Montreal Canadiens will finish eighth in the Atlantic Division. Tonight, the Blue Jackets came out of the gate in a feisty mood, targeting Arber Xhekaj and Alex Newhook with checks from behind. But more concerning, Columbus had a 2-0 lead by taking advantage of Canadiens turnovers and some suspect goaltending. It was too much for head coach Marty St. Louis who, by all reports, lambasted his players during the first intermission. The Canadiens captain responded by scoring a first shift goal in the second period and his teammates a more inspired effort in the final 40-plus minutes. GAME STATISTICS Canadiens (4-2-1) Shots: 29 Face-off %: 46.3 Power play: 2/5 Penalty minutes: 17 Hits: 20 Blocks: 24 Blue Jackets (3-2-2) Shots: 36 Face-off %: 53.7 Power play: 2/4 Penalty minutes: 19 Hits: 16 Blocks: 23 SCORING SUMMARY Canadiens Scorers 1st period: No scoring 2nd period: Suzuki (1), Matheson (2)-PPG 3rd period: Monahan (3)-PPG OT: Caufield (4) SO: n/a Blue Jackets Scorers 1st period: Roslovic (2), Bemstrom (2)-PPG 2nd period: Bemstrom (3)-PPG 3rd period: No scoring OT: No scoring SO: n/a Goaltenders MTL: Montembeault (W) 2-1-0 CBJ: Merzlikins (OTL) 2-1-2 CANADIENS PLAYERS OF THE GAME Cole Caufield - Caufield's overtime goal was the sixth of his career and his 10th game winner. Nick Suzuki - Suzuki has had a tough start to the season including Tuesday night against the Devils. But tonight, Suzuki had a goal and two assists. Sean Monahan - Monahan scored the game-tying goal and led the forwards in ice time and faceoff percentage. VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C78KK7DwI10[/embed] POST-GAME QUOTES Marty St. Louis on his leadership group “I feel that I am close to them, they know that I can understand everything they are going through. I'm not trying to tell them what to do, but rather lead them in the right direction. Leadership starts from the top and I do my part, but it's important that leadership is passed down to the bottom. It’s important for them that they do that, that’s how you build a team." GAME PREVIEW Canadiens Looking to Bounce Back Against the Blue Jackets | PREVIEW: CBJ @ MTL [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/game-day/canadiens-looking-to-bounce-back-against-the-blue-jackets-preview-cbj-mtl] UP NEXT The Canadiens will complete their homestand by hosting the Winnipeg Jets at the Bell Centre on Saturday night. Be sure to bookmark THN.com/Montreal [https://thn.com/montreal] for year-round coverage of the Montreal Canadiens, Laval Rocket, and Habs prospects playing in leagues around the world. Gretzky Signature Series [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNzAzMjM2NzQxMTEzNjIw/gretzky-northland.jpg] Gretzky Signature Series
