Laine injury, blown third-period lead and more: 3 reasons why Montreal Canadiens lost 5-4 against Columbus Blue Jackets

The Montreal Canadiens lost a tough 5-4 decision against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night at Nationwide Arena. Beyond the loss on the scoreboard, the Canadiens also lost Patrik Laine to an upper-body injury.

David Savard, Lane Hutson, Jake Evans and Joel Armia scored for the Canadiens. Meanwhile, Dmitri Voronkov scored twice while Kent Johnson, Jordan Harris and Kirill Marchenko got the goals for the Blue Jackets.

Here's a closer look at three reasons why Montreal lost to Columbus on Monday night.

3 reasons why Montreal Canadiens lost 5-4 to Montreal Canadiens

#3. Underwhelming special teams

The Canadiens’ special teams underwhelmed on Monday night. The power play went 0-for-2, struggling during their two opportunities. The loss of Patrik Laine on the top power play unit appeared to have impacted the Habs’ ability to score.

Also, the Blue Jackets went 1-for-3 with the man advantage. However, the one power play marker was a huge one as it tied the game a 3:24 of the third period, setting up an exciting final frame. Columbus eventually got the game-winner with a little under two minutes to go in the game.

Overall, the lack of scoring on the power play and the one ineffective penalty kill made a significant difference, leading to the loss.

#2. Canadiens blew the lead

The game was tied at three heading into the third period. Then, Joel Armia got a lucky bounce on his stick, shooting a quick reaction shot past Columbus netminder Jet Greaves. The goal put the Montreal Canadiens up 4-3 20 seconds into the third.

However, the Canadiens could not hold the lead as Voronkov tied the game with his second of the night, a power play goal. The Canadiens could not hold the fort against the Columbus attack, and Kirill Marchenko wired a rocket from the top of the circle that hit the post and went in past Montreal goalie Sam Montembeault.

Unfortunately for the Canadiens, it was their third blown third-period lead of the season. For the Blue Jackets, it was a welcome win that allowed them to escape the Metro Division cellar.

#1. Patrik Laine injury

Patrik Laine left the game after the first intermission with an upper-body injury. He played just 6:15 minutes without registering a point in the contest. It’s unclear how or when Laine was injured. Nevertheless, the injury is another tough break for the Finnish forward and the Canadiens as Laine missed the season’s first 24 games with a knee injury.

The Canadiens now head into the Christmas break hoping to heal and rebound before their next matchup on Dec. 28 against the Florida Panthers.