Excerpt from 'Habs Hockey Report' of host Amy Johnson commenting on the highs and lows of the first month of the Montreal Canadiens' season. GAME RECAP | Montreal Canadiens 3 vs St. Louis Blues 6 | Final St. Louis Blues defeated the Montreal Canadiens 6-3 [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxOTg4MDk1NjE1MTgyNzcx/canadiens-final-score-1.png] St. Louis Blues defeated the Montreal Canadiens 6-3 CANADIENS LINEUP Forwards 22 Cole Caufield - 14 Nick Suzuki - 20 Juraj Slafkovsky 15 Alex Newhook - 28 Christian Dvorak - 17 Josh Anderson 70 Tanner Pearson - 91 Sean Monahan - 11 Brendan Gallagher 55 Michael Pezzetta - 71 Jake Evans - 40 Joel Armia Defensemen 8 Mike Matheson - 26 Johnathan Kovacevic 21 Kaiden Guhle - 52 Justin Barron 72 Arber Xhekaj - 54 Jordan Harris Goaltenders Starter: 35 Sam Montembeault Alternate: 30 Cayden Primeau Out of the lineup Scratches: Jesse Ylonen, Jake Allen Injuries: Carey Price (knee), Chris Wideman (back), Kirby Dach (knee), David Savard (hand), Rafael Harvey-Pinard (lower-body) GAME REPORT Once again, the NHL schedule maker gifted a prime opportunity to the Canadiens, and once again they squandered the advantage. The St. Louis Blues were in action on Friday night against the New Jersey Devils but looked to be the fresher team against the Habs. With Christian Dvorak eligible to return, he occupied a centre slot on the third line bumping Alex Newhook to the wing. The change allowed Marty St. Louis to audition Juraj Slafkovsky on the top trio with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. While Slafkovsky didn't look entirely comfortable with his new role, the 19-year-old scored his first goal in 11 months. Ironically, his first of the season was scored on the power-play with Slafkovsky's former centre, Alex Newhook, getting the primary assist. Brendan Gallagher scored the Canadiens second goal from Sean Monahan. It was Gallagher's fourth point in the past two games. Nick Suzuki added a late goal when the result was no longer in doubt redirecting a shot by Cole Caufield. It was another difficult game for Mike Matheson. The 29-year-old defenseman was the culprit of numerous missteps and turnovers finishing the game with a minus-3 rating. Jordan Kyrou and Brayden Schenn led the Blues with each scoring a goal and an assist. Goaltender Joel Hofer made 30 saves. The Canadiens end their road trip with three consecutive losses going 0-2-1. GAME STATISTICS Canadiens (5-4-2) Shots: 33 Face-off %: 49.2 Power play: 1/4 Penalty minutes: 2 Hits: 11 Blocks: 14 Blues (5-4-1) Shots: 35 Face-off %: 50.8 Power play: 0/0 Penalty minutes: 8 Hits: 20 Blocks: 12 SCORING SUMMARY Canadiens Scorers 1st period: Slafkovsky (1)-PPG 2nd period: Gallagher (4) 3rd period: Suzuki (3) OT: -- SO: -- Blues Scorers 1st period: Kyrou (2), Thomas (4) 2nd period: Saad (3) 3rd period: Toropchenko (1)-SHG, Schenn (1), Kapanen (2)-ENG OT: -- SO: -- Goaltenders MTL: Montembeault (L) 2-2-1 STL: Hofer (W) 2-1-0 CANADIENS PLAYERS OF THE GAME Brendan Gallagher - Gallagher had a goal and an assist. The 31-year-old is off to a great start with four goals, three assists for seven points in 11 games. Kaiden Guhle - Guhle led the team with six blocked shots and ended the game with an even rating in 18:33 of ice time. Jordan Harris - With the Blues taking advantage of some shoddy play in the defensive zone, the pairing of Harris and Arber Xhekaj played an effective game. Juraj Slafkovsky - The power play goal by Slafkovsky was a baby step towards giving him the confidence to have an impact. But challenges remain, especially if he continues on the Canadiens top line. VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdwH7K2va5Y[/embed] POST-GAME QUOTES Juraj Slafkovsky “[Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield] are great players so they make it easier for their line-mates so it wasn't hard at all." Nick Suzuki "We're a young team, but we can't just show up. We have a lot to improve for our next game." GAME PREVIEW Welcome Back Christian Dvorak | PREVIEW: MTL @ STL [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/game-day/welcome-back-christian-dvorak-preview-mtl-stl] UP NEXT The Canadiens head home to host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday at the Bell Centre. Puck drop is 7 pm ET. 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
