The Canadiens didn’t have the reunion they hoped for in front of a nearly-full Bell Center Saturday night.
Marcus Johansson scored in a shootout and the Seattle Kraken defeated the Montreal team 4-3.
The game was played with no restrictions on the number of spectators allowed. It was the first time since Dec. 9 that the Bell Center was not subject to a capacity limit due to COVID-19.
Johansson was the only shooter to score in the shootout.
Alexander Romanov had a goal and an assist, while Michael Pezzetta and Nick Suzuki also hit the target for the Habs (15-35-8). Samuel Montembeault made 32 saves.
Yanni Gourde, Ryan Donato and Jared McCann were on target for the Kraken (18-37-6), who snapped a four-game losing streak. Johansson also had two assists and Philipp Grubauer turned away 30 shots.
Defenseman Joel Edmundson was playing his first game for the Habs this season after missing the first 57 games with a back injury.
To make room for him in the 23-man roster, the Habs drafted forward Cedric Paquette. The Tricolore also announced that defenseman Kale Clague had been placed on the injury list. He was hit in the face by a puck during practice on Friday.
The Habs will be back in action on Sunday night when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers.
— This report was first published in French by The Canadian Press on March 12, 2022.