NJD@MTL: Tough finish to a strong start

MONTREAL - The Canadiens knew they'd be in for a challenge coming back from a 10-day break from game action.

Facing a New Jersey Devils team that already played two games after the All-Star break amplified the test for them, but Montreal erased those question marks with a solid, fast-skating start on Saturday afternoon that paved the way for them to hold a lead for a good chunk of the game.
"We knew coming in that this was their third game back. We wanted to keep it simple early, get pucks in and get our legs going. I think everyone did a good job at that, moving our feet," recounted defenseman Jeff Petry. "As the game went on, you're starting to get your hands and everything back and get the pace of the game back."
The result was that rookie Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored his seventh goal of the season to open the scoring, and the Finnish sensation felt like the time away from the rink helped him deliver a strong overall effort in his 52nd game in the NHL.
"Definitely, it felt good. We had played so many games before the break, so a little break was good for that," described Kotkaniemi, who now has 24 points in 2018-19. "Guys got a little rest so they could be more ready for the rest of the season."

Will Butcher tied things up for New Jersey on the power play late in the opening frame, and the Canadiens would get ahead again almost a full period later when Phillip Danault redirected Jeff Petry's shot from the point for his ninth tally of the season.

But despite a bevy of shots and scoring chances, the Canadiens allowed the Devils to crawl back into it. Nico Hischier scored midway through the third and then finished things off in overtime, helping New Jersey to a 3-2 win.
"The game could've gone either way," posited Danault, who is now just six points shy of matching his career high. "They were more opportunistic than us and that's why they got the two points."
Antti Niemi hadn't played since Montreal's 5-2 loss to Philadelphia on January 19. He said his team's hot start actually presented a challenge of its own for him, but was pleased with the way the Habs played despite coming out on the losing end.

"It wasn't easy, not facing too many shots early in the game," described Niemi, who made 24 saves. "It was tougher to get in the game.
"We should've gotten the points here today, we're not happy about that. But there were lots of good things in our game."
For head coach Claude Julien, his troops will have to find a way to seize their opportunities if they want to avoid a repeat of the result.
"I think it's pretty obvious we were the better team tonight. We had a lot of chances. The reason we're here with an overtime loss is because we couldn't finish our scoring chances. We had a lot. It would've been a totally different game if we had taken advantage of our scoring opportunities. It's on us to be better in those kinds of situations. I found that after two periods, it shouldn't have even been a 2-1 game," explained the coach. "When you let a team get back into it because you don't finish your scoring chances, it often comes back to haunt you."

And although Kotkaniemi would've liked to relish his performance - in which, in addition to his tally, he won 53% of his draws and registered a pair of shots and hits each - he'll have to save it for another time.
"We played pretty well. We had our chances, but we didn't use them," he concluded. "It wasn't good enough tonight."