The Canadiens had looked like they’d gotten things figured out, winning five straight since the return of Carey Price from injury. (Funny how that works. You get the best goaltender in the world back in net, and he gives up six total goals in five games, and you win them all, and suddenly you’re third in the Atlantic.) Last night they hosted the Blues, who had lost three straight. And some fun stuff happened.
St. Louis won 4-3, so let’s just get that out of the way, even though there are probably more efficient ways of getting hockey scores than reading Deadspin. The Blues broke a second-period tie with a Scottie Upshall goal, and then, just seven seconds later, Brayden Schenn caught Montreal unawares and doubled the lead:
But Shea Weber erased that lead all by himself, scoring in the second and the third to bring things level, his 500th and 501st points of his career. Weber’s first goal was a weird one, that Jake Allen didn’t really make a move on because he understandably thought it was going wide.
The puck looked like it never quite left the ice, rolling in an arc back toward the net. He’ll take it.
Weber’s 500th point puts him on a fairly exclusive list. He’s just the fourth active defenseman to reach the 500-point mark, and here’s a fun game: How far down the list do you have to go before you find someone who won’t make the Hall of Fame? (Okay, that’s easy. It’s Phaneuf.) Weber’s 189 career goals place him second among active blueliners, just two behind Zdeno Chara, who’s eight years older. Good company.
But this game belonged to the Blues and to Brayden Schenn. Schenn finished off his hat trick with eight minutes remaining, dumping a puck into traffic in front of the net that deflected past Price for the game-winner.
Schenn wasn’t sure if the goal was his, or if Jaden Schwartz had gotten a stick on it.
“I just saw it go in and put my arms up in the air and asked Schwartzy in the huddle if it was his or not,” Schenn said. “And he said he didn’t know if it went off Weber or [David Schlemko’s] skate, but I’ll definitely take those lucky goals.”
Replay showed it bounced in off Schlemko, giving Schenn his third career hatty.
The win breaks a three-game skid for the Blues, who, like Montreal, are third in their division—though the Central is stacked and the Atlantic is not. But playoffs is playoffs. And I trust Carey Price to play like Carey Price more than I trust Jake Allen to play like he’s been playing.