Uncertainly hung over the first two goals the Canadiens scored in their 3-1 victory over the Oilers Monday at Rogers Place.
Rookie defenceman Alexander Romanov opened the scoring with his first NHL goal, but his celebration was momentarily delayed because he didn’t realize his shot from the blue line went in.
“Firstly, I didn’t understand that I scored and I was so excited that I had no words,” Romanov said when asked about his reaction.
Shea Weber knew that his winning goal in the dying seconds of the second period went in the net off goaltender Mikko Koskinen and he wondered why referee Chris Schlenker waved it off for goaltender interference. He had to wait for the war room in Toronto to review the replay after head coach Claude Julien challenged the ruling on the ice.
“You never really know; it’s a judgment call,” Weber said when asked about his state of mind while awaiting the ruling. “It was kind of a weird situation because when it was waved off, there were none of our guys in the crease. When we went back to the bench, guys were discussing it. We’re thankful it went our way because it gave us a boost at the time.”
Julien noted the random nature of the challenge process when he said it could go either way and, if a coach loses, the team is assessed a minor penalty. That risk is often enough to discourage a coach from challenging, but Julien felt he was on firm ground after reviewing the play with his staff.
Schlenker felt that Jeff Petry interfered with Koskinen, but the reply showed he was being pushed by Oilers forward Devin Shore. Petry managed to veer away from the net and it was Shore who wound up tangled with Koskinen in the crease.
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Julien might have been willing to gamble because the Montreal penalty kill was having a superb night. The Canadiens were short-handed seven times with some brief periods when they were two men short, but Edmonton was unable to score.
“We had some good sticks tonight,” said Weber. “(The Oilers) were trying to hit seams and we were able to get sticks in lanes. (Goaltender Jake Allen) was able to make the first save and we were able to clear the puck after that.”
Julien rotated seven forwards on the PK to ensure there were fresh legs on the ice.
“Having more bodies allows us to be more aggressive,” said Weber. “Obviously, our forwards are trying to use their speed against the other team and that allows us to be more aggressive.”
Artturi Lehkonen completed the Montreal scoring with a short-handed goal. Not only did the Oilers go 0-for-10 on the power play in the two games in Edmonton, but they also gave up short-handed goals to Lehkonen and Jake Evans.
As good as the PK was, the fact that it had to work so hard indicates that the Canadiens have to do a better job of staying out of the box. It should also be noted that Weber and Romanov received cross-checking penalties. It might be a coincidence, but the penalties came in the wake of complaints that the Canadiens manhandled Auston Matthews last week in Toronto.
The Canadiens are bigger this year and they are playing bigger. They also outhit the Oilers 31-17 Monday.
“We were playing hard, we have many hits,” said Romanov. “We’re playing like a team, we’re playing like a family.”
It should be noted Allen deserved a shutout. He didn’t get one because Jonathan Drouin misplayed the puck at his own blue line and that led to a breakaway goal by Shore.
The nasty look Weber directed at Drouin told you everything you need to know about the play.
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