The Montreal Canadiens returned to the Bell Centre to welcome Mike Yeo and the St. Louis Blues. Al Montoya took Carey Price’s spot in net, while Nikita Nesterov, Brian Flynn and David Desharnais were made healthy scratches. Despite battling the flu, captain Max Pacioretty suited up.
After observing a moment of silence for Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch, the game was on. It was all St. Louis early on, as a disorganized Montreal blue line and Al Montoya’s ill-timed slip, allowed the Blues to get on the board first. Patrik Berglund redirected Alex Pietrangelo’s shot into a wide open cage to give his team a 1-0 lead, less than four minutes into the game.