There was only a pair of games on tap, but plenty of firepower to go around.
Alexander Radulov had a goal and two assists to lead the Montreal Canadiens past the Philadelphia Flyers while the Calgary Flames beat the Chicago Blackhawks in a shootout.
Here are five things we learned Monday night in the NHL:
Power play re-ignited?
Montreal coach Michel Therrien said Monday morning that his “power play is supposed to create momentum.” He certainly got that against the Flyers.
The Canadiens put Radulov on the blue line for their first power-play unit and it paid off. Montreal buzzed around the net on its first three opportunities with the man advantage, getting several good scoring chances against Steve Mason. Brendan Gallagher finally broke a 1-1 tie in the third when he screened Mason and had — guess who — Radulov’s shot deflect off him and into the net.
The Habs entered the matchup converting just 3-of-21 opportunities with the man advantage, but if Monday’s victory is any indication, Montreal could return to its power-play dominance from the 2012-13 regular season when they had a 20.7 per cent conversion rate (fifth best in the NHL).
Started from the bottom…
The Flames entered the day with the worst power play in the NHL, scoring just once on 25 chances (four per cent). They got a little bit better against Chicago, however, after Sam Bennett opened the scoring with the man advantage. Sean Monahan added a power-play goal in the second period for his third goal of the season.
The slow start could be due to coach Glen Gulutzan’s new style as there’s often a learning curve when a coach brings in his own systems and philosophies. For comparison, Calgary’s power play operated at 17 per cent last year.
PK needs some help
It may be early, but the Chicago Blackhawks‘ penalty kill has been atrocious this season. Chicago entered its game against the Flames with 12 goals allowed while killing off penalties or 42.9 per cent. Bennett didn’t help the matter when he opened the scoring with a power-play goal.
Editor’s Note: The 2007-08 Thrashers weren’t very good.
Very, very hard shot
Shea Weber has shown before that he has the hardest shot in the NHL, but the Canadiens defenceman gave us an in-game glance at his power tonight. Weber blasted a shot from the point at 5:28 of the second period to give Montreal a 1-0 lead. The shot was so powerful that it broke Brayden Schenn’s stick.
Weber earned the hardest shot award for a second-straight year at last season’s All-Star Skills Competition clocking in at 108.1 miles per hour. He set a personal record the year before with a blast of 108.5 mph.
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Tough guy makes pro debut
Referee Chris Schlenker made his NHL debut on Monday night at Bell Centre for the Canadiens’ matchup against the Flyers. The 32-year-old was named the best referee last year in the Western Hockey League and worked during the Memorial Cup.
NHL referee Chris Schlenker.
Schlenker, of Medicine Hat, Alta., played four full seasons in the WHL with the Regina Pats and Prince Albert Raiders and was no stranger to mixing things up. In his rookie season, he accumulated 197 penalty minutes in 72 games while scoring six goals and 19 assists. He followed up with 188 penalty minutes the following year and finished his WHL career with 718 minutes in the sin bin.
