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Professional hockey

Patrick Roy's Appendicitis Derails Montreal Canadiens' Eastern Conference Playoff Push

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Montreal Canadiens' star goalie Patrick Roy's appendicitis took center stage last night, forcing him to watch from the hospital bed as his team suffered a 6-3 loss to the Boston Bruins. This setback puts the Canadiens in a tough spot, trailing 2-1 in the series. Roy's teammates, particularly Vincent Damphousse, Brian Bellows, and John LeClair, had a dismal performance, failing to muster even three shots between them. The team's lackluster play was blamed on the absence of their star goalie, with coach Jacques Demers stating that the team was "completely flat and uninspired" behind backup Ron Tugnutt.

Key Takeaways:

  • **Appendicitis sidelines Patrick Roy**: Roy was hospitalized with appendicitis, forcing him to watch the game from his hospital bed. He may require surgery, with a two-centimeter incision and a 10-14 day recovery period.
  • **Ron Tugnutt struggles in net**: Montreal's backup goalie allowed three soft goals and expressed disappointment in his performance, stating he didn't handle the pressure as expected.
  • **Damphousse, Bellows, and LeClair ineffective**: The trio managed only three shots and were a minus-2 on the scoresheet, prompting coach Demers to criticize their performance.
  • **Bruins' young players shine**: Boston's Glen Murray, Jozef Stumpel, and Brent Hughes combined for two key goals, earning praise from coach Brian Sutter for their responsibility and growing maturity.
  • **Montreal's power play struggles**: The Canadiens came up empty on four power play opportunities, continuing a trend from their previous game.
  • **Bruins' goalie Vincent Riendeau gets a chance to shine**: Riendeau, who was called in for a last-minute duty, responded by making several key saves, including one on an empty-netter.
  • **Coach Sutter's plan pays off**: Sutter's strategy to keep his goalies on their toes and focus on attacking the puck proved effective, as the Bruins outshot the Canadiens 26-27.
  • **No sympathy for Roy from Bruin president Harry Sinden**: Sinden, who had previously sent a tape of an alleged kicking incident involving Roy to the NHL, seemed unconcerned about Roy's health, stating "it doesn't matter" for the Bruins.

Statistics:

  • **Bruins outscore Montreal 6-3**: Boston's six goals were the most scored by them in the series so far.
  • **27 shots for Montreal**: The Canadiens outshot the Bruins 27-26.
  • **Tugnutt's record against Montreal**: Despite a poor performance, Tugnutt had a 3-6-3 record against the Canadiens in the regular season.
  • **Roy's career record against the Bruins**: Roy had a 2-1 record against the Bruins in the regular season.
  • **Time of first goal**: The first goal was scored by Bryan Smolinski on a power play just 5:23 into the first period.

Sources:

  • "Byline: JAMES CHRISTIE Montreal PQ -- BY JAMES CHRISTIE Sport Reporter Montreal PATRICK Roy expected to be between the pipes last night when the Montreal Canadiens faced the Boston Bruins in the third game of the Eastern Conference playoffs."
  • "The Game Bruins 6, Canadiens 3 Goalie Patrick Roy may have four doctors at his bedside, but the 17,802 Montreal Forum fans could have used another at the Forum to ease their suffering."
  • "The special teams The Montreal power play was shut down for the second time in three games, coming up empty on four occasions."

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