About Last Night: Flying Frenchman Texier a first line fit for Habs

Alexandre Texier had the first three-point game of his NHL career to lead the Montreal Canadiens to a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday at the Bell Centre.

The game was the first of four straight at home after completing a seven-game road trip.

Jacob Fowler started in goal and made 28 saves. He allowed one goal, but also had another called back on a successful offside challenge by coach Martin St. Louis.

The first time both clubs met in October, Dustin Wolf and Jakub Dobes were locked in a goaltending duel. The first period looked like a repeat of that game, with Wolf turning aside all 14 shots he faced. But the Habs opened the floodgates in the second period with three goals.

Premier François Legault was in attendance and tweeted “Vive la France!” afterwards.

Texier opened scoring by beating Wolf high in tight. It was also the 100th point in Texier’s career, which came after being added to Team France at the upcoming Winter Olympics.

Lane Hutson then made it 2-0, blasting a one-timer from the high slot. The goal came just after a successful penalty kill. Phil Danault’s assist came in his first home game for the Habs since returning via trade in December. Danault’s biggest contribution on the night? Going 13-for-15 in the dot.

Only 1:07 later, Oliver Kapanen kept pace in the rookie goal-scoring lead with his 14th of the campaign. He’s tied with Beckett Sennecke of the Anaheim Ducks.

Juraj Slafkovsky assisted on the Kapanen goal and tried to add to Montreal’s lead, but he ended up whiffing with an open net. He went searching for answers on a tablet on the bench afterwards.

Joel Farabee ended Fowler’s 116:38 home shutout streak and pulled the Flames to within two before the end of the second period. Fowler likely wishes he had this one back.

In the third period, Texier capped his three-point night with an assist on Cole Caufield’s 21st goal of the season. 4-1 Habs.

It’s common for teams to swoon in the first home game back from a long road trip, but the Habs bucked conventional wisdom with a win over the floundering Flames. The three bottom-feeders in the Western Conference are all Canadian teams: the Flames, Canucks and Jets.

Since arriving in Montreal in late November, Texier has 11 points in 21 games. That’s after only getting one point in eight games for the St. Louis Blues, which led to the mutual contract termination that opened the opportunity to sign in Montreal.

After another former Blue, Zachary Bolduc, botched his audition, Texier has shown he’s got the offensive skills and smarts to hang on the top line with Nick Suzuki and Caufield.

Texier was dominant on the scoresheet and Hockey Stat Cards’ endgame report. So was the Hutson and Alexandre Carrier defence pairing. What happens when Kaiden Guhle imminently returns?

Texier might not last when the likes of Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook return from injury, but at the very least, he can fill an important role at a pivotal juncture of the season where the Habs can start to separate themselves from the pack before the Olympic break.

Speaking of the break, the liveblog commenters on the are right: the Habs might as well ride the three-goalie wave until Milano Cortina. Last night was the first of five games in seven nights. Next: the Florida Panthers and (possibly) a chance at revenge against Brad Marchand.

Here’s what the commenters had to say:

3. “The Texier trade shows the intelligence of Hughes. Today’s game shows what Hughes saw in him when others didn’t. Texier still has to prove he’s a long term addition tonight’s game is a big plus for him.” — Rick Woods

2. “Big game tomorrow, if Marchand plays, it’ll be fun fun fun.” — Ryan Katz

1. “Kent is keeping the 3 goalies until the Olympics. We’re playing 13 games from now until the end of January. Nobody is going to Laval.” — Carin Latzel