On a night when the Montreal Canadiens needed to begin a lengthy stretch without two offensive centres, seeing three players go out long-term in just a matter of days, it was going to take all the grit and character the Habs could muster to make a winning statement.
Phillip Danault opened the scoring thirteen minutes into the first period, tipping a Nathan Beaulieu shot from the point to put the Canadiens up 1-0. With Danault’s stick high in the crease, the goal was first reviewed then challenged, as the NHL is taking it to the next level of their dissection of goal-scoring.