Skinner Shuts the Door, Whalers Left Out in the Cold

[HartfordWhalers]

The Whalers arrived in Montreal hoping to carve out a victory, but the Canadiens had other plans—plans that included keeping the visitors off the scoreboard entirely. Stuart Skinner was an impenetrable fortress, turning away all 25 shots he faced and earning the game’s top star.

Jesper Bratt set the tone in the first, slipping one past Jacob Markstrom to give Montreal the lead. That lead only grew as Pierre-Luc Dubois, Michael McLeod, and Yegor Sharangovich each added tallies in the second and third periods. The Canadiens weren’t content with just scoring—they also made sure to keep things spicy, racking up a collection of penalties that could have fueled a Whalers comeback if only their power play hadn’t sputtered to an uninspired 0-for-5 performance.

Meanwhile, Mackenzie Weegar was given the dubious honor of being the 19th skater, meaning he enjoyed front-row seats to the game while never actually setting foot on the ice—a tactical decision that has RSHL management facing questions they’d rather avoid.

As the final horn sounded, the Whalers were left licking their wounds and packing their bags for their next challenge—the Maple Leafs—hoping they can do more than just watch from the bench next time.