Tough loss to a tough team

MONTREAL - The Canadiens came up just short in their final appearance in front of the Bell Centre faithful in 2016, falling to one of the NHL's hottest teams.

Eric Staal's short-handed tally at the 3:08 mark of the third period proved to be the game-winner, as the Minnesota Wild earned a 4-2 win over the Canadiens on Thursday night to register their ninth straight victory.
It marked just the third time that Michel Therrien's troops were downed on home ice in regulation time since the start of the 2016-17 campaign.

"We gave up a short-handed goal to go behind in the third period, obviously. Against a team that good, it's going to be tough to come back. There's not much to be said. Little mistakes at crucial times, that can make a difference," said Brendan Gallagher, reflecting upon a defeat in which the Canadiens twice held a one-goal advantage during the middle frame on goals by Max Pacioretty and Artturi Lehkonen, but saw their leads evaporate minutes later both times.
"They're definitely tough to play against. They took away a lot of time and space, especially in the neutral zone. There wasn't much there. They've got a good team. They're well structured. They compete hard," added Gallagher, who chipped in with two of the Canadiens' 34 shots on Wild starter Devan Dubnyk on Thursday night.
Lehkonen, who registered his fifth goal in 10 games in the month of the December, was certainly in agreement with Gallagher's assessment of the Wild's performance.
"We knew before the game that they were going to be the same kind of team that we are. They're a really fast team and it was really high-tempo in the game," said Lehkonen, who now boasts seven goals on the year. "There wasn't a lot of room out there, for sure."

It's safe to say that in Nathan Beaulieu's opinion, the Wild are most definitely one of the premier clubs around, up front, on the back end, and obviously between the pipes with Dubnyk continuing to shine.
"They're quick on the forecheck. They're hungry and speedy, so as a D-man it was tough. They were coming hard," admitted Beaulieu, who logged a season-high 27:43 of ice time against the Wild. "Not only are they quick, but they're very skilled. They're a powerhouse in the West right now and they're a good hockey team that I'm sure we'll have another good battle with."
While that rematch won't come until January 12 in Minnesota, another important rematch awaits the Canadiens on Friday night in Ohio when they square off against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena in their final outing before the Christmas break.
The last time the two squads met back on November 4, John Tortorella's contingent scored 10 goals on 40 shots on Al Montoya in a 10-0 victory in the Buckeye State. Interestingly enough, it will be Montoya who gets the start in goal again. This time around, he'll have a chance to help snap the Blue Jackets' remarkable 11-game winning streak that has them sitting atop the League standings alongside the Chicago Blackhawks with 48 points, two points clear of the fifth-place Canadiens.
"We're not going in as a redemption game, but it's in the back of our minds. We know what we need to do. They're a powerhouse right now," said Beaulieu, well aware of the challenge that awaits the Canadiens on Friday night. "We're confident in ourselves. We're not going to go in and try to redeem anything. We know what happened. We can't let it happen again. We've got to push the pace."

It's the first of seven straight road games Therrien's charges will play between now and January 7, and you know they'd just love to start things off strong before enjoying some well-deserved time off.
"It's not going to be easy [in Columbus]. We better be ready to compete and play hard," concluded Gallagher. "We've seen what can happen if we don't in that building. We all remember that feeling. It's time to get ready for that one. We have to find a way to get the two points before the break."