Canadiens’ Travis Moen (left) and Sergei Kostitsyn celebrates Moen’s second period goal against Edmonton.
François Lacasse, NHLI via Getty Images
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AUDIO: Ryan O’Byrne | Andrei Markov | Brian Gionta | Mathieu Darche | Jaro Halak | Jacques Martin
• At A Glance: One team so bad this season, they need a ladder to get into the basement. The other, battling to make the playoffs and doing well of late. So how to explain the Canadiens going to a shootout against the Edmonton Oilers – and needing a fifth-round goal by Andrei Kostitsyn to earn two points with a 5-4 win? The teams scored four goals on only 10 shots through the first half of the first period, Habs’ Tomas Plekanec, with his 20th of the season, and Brian Gionta, with his 21st, bookending goals by Edmonton’s Robert Nilsson and Sam Gagner. Defenceman Andrei Markov earned assists on both Habs goals. It wasn’t until 15:25 through the second period that Travis Moen, with his eighth, banged one past Oilers rookie goalie Devan Dubnyk from a scramble to break the tie to put Montreal back in front. Edmonton’s Andrew Cogliano took advantage of Habs goalie Jaroslav Halak’s inability to smother a puck in the first minute of the third to pull Edmonton even again. Sergei Kostitsyn, with his third, pushed the Habs back into the lead at 8:05, an advantage for just 1:14 when Halak fanned on a Shawn Horcoff slapper he’ll usually stop in his sleep.
• Key Moments: Montreal went 0-for-7 with at least one extra man. And while it wasn’t his best game of the season, Halak stopped five Oilers in the shootout to preserve the win.
• What It Means: The sixth-place Flyers were pummelled by No. 8 Boston, leaving the Habs in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 74 points and tied with Philly, but having played three more games. Boston is eighth with 72.
• What’s Next: The Habs return to practice Friday morning in Brossard then face the Boston Bruins Saturday night at the Bell Centre. That will wrap up a three-game homestand and lead to two road games next week: in New York on Tuesday and Toronto on Saturday.
Source: Habs Inside/Out – http://feeds.feedburner.com/habsinsideout
