The Centre Bell did something unexpected on Monday night. Before the third game between the Canadiens and Hurricanes, the microphones stopped working, and the crowd took over instead.
The American anthem was meant to be sung clearly. The microphones had other ideas. So, 21,000 fans in Montreal started singing it themselves, line by line, until the sound crew could catch up.
Jakub Dobes was ready on his blue line. Then he went on to make 35 saves out of 38 shots in a tough overtime loss that left the Canadiens down 2-1 in the series.
The video of this moment quickly spread on hockey social media. Cory Lavalette from The North State Journal was the first to notice it, talking about how special it was for the crowd to respond like that without any planning in a playoff setting.
You could hear it clearly on the broadcast. A few uncertain people began to sing, then the fans behind the visiting team’s bench joined in, followed by those in the upper seats. By the time the singers’ microphones worked again, most of the song was already sung.
That part tells its own story. The visiting team’s anthem was sung by the home crowd, in a series where Montreal is trying hard to recover.
Martin St-Louis and the Canadiens are facing a must-win situation for Game 4 on Wednesday.
The hockey side of the night wasn’t as good. Carolina has won two close one-goal games in this series, both in overtime, with the same score of 3-2.
Montreal started the playoffs with a strong 6-2 victory on the road. Since then, the games have been very tight. Three out of the four games have been decided by just one goal.
Dobes is a big reason why the series is still going on. The 24-year-old is facing a lot of shots, and the number of shots against him in Game 3 was not a coincidence. Carolina is putting a lot of pressure on him.
Game 4 will happen on Wednesday at the Centre Bell. If Martin St-Louis’s team loses, they will be very close to being out of the playoffs, with the next two games set to be in Carolina if necessary.
The fans have already shown their support in this series. Now, the big question is if the team can live up to their energy before they run out of chances.
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