Ward, Hurricanes beat Canadiens 2-0 for 3rd straight win

By JOEDY McCREARY
AP Sports Writer

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Cam Ward has beaten the Montreal Canadiens plenty of times during his long career - but until now, never in a shutout.

Ward stopped 27 shots in his second shutout of the season, and the Carolina Hurricanes beat Montreal 2-0 on Thursday night.

Brett Pesce and Brock McGinn scored to help the Hurricanes win their third straight, sweep the season series from Montreal and keep themselves in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. Carolina entered two points out of a playoff spot and has opened an eight-game homestand with consecutive victories.

"It's crunch time. All you've got to do is look at the standings, and we've kind of preached that this is our playoffs," Ward said. "We've got a lot of games here at home, you want to kind of build some momentum, get some fans into the building and reward them with some wins."

Carey Price made 28 saves for the Canadiens, who have lost three in a row and fell to 2-5-2 in their last nine games.

"You don't like losing, and it is frustrating, but I think there was an effort there tonight," coach Claude Julien said. "But I'd like to see desperation add to that effort, because that's what we need to turn things around."

McGinn made it a two-goal game with 5:09 remaining, taking a smooth pass from Justin Williams and slipping the puck past Price.

That gave Ward some breathing room, and he finished with the 27th shutout of his 13-year career - but his first in 36 games against the Canadiens while improving his lifetime record against them to 20-12-4. He previously blanked defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh 4-0 on Jan. 4.

"The best player on the ice, by far," Pesce said.

Ward outdueled Price for the third time this season. The teams' final meeting of the season bore little resemblance to their last one a week earlier - a wild 6-5 win by Carolina in Montreal.

"It needed to be a reverse" of that one, Ward said. "Carey Price is a world-class goaltender. You knew he was going to bounce back and be tough to beat."

Both teams entered as two of the league's leaders in shots: The Hurricanes rank fourth in the NHL with an average of 34.3 shots, while the Canadiens are two spots behind at 33.8 shots per game.

"They came with a push," Pesce said, "and I thought we weathered it as best as we could."

Pesce came through with all the offense the Hurricanes needed at 2:43 of the second, when he blasted a slap shot from the point that got past Price. It came seconds after he whiffed on a shot attempt from just inside the blue line.

"You make a little mistake," Julien said, "and it's in the back of our net right now."

NOTES: Montreal LW Paul Byron was back in the lineup two nights after leaving the Canadiens' loss to St. Louis following a fall into the boards. ... Pesce's goal was his first since Jan. 14, 2017 - a span of 81 games. ... Montreal assistant Kirk Muller spent three seasons as Carolina's head coach.

UP NEXT

Canadiens: Return home to take on Anaheim on Saturday.

Hurricanes: Play host to Detroit on Friday night.

Hutton continues to roll, Blues shut down Canadiens 3-1

By STEVE OVERBEY
Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Carter Hutton insists his recent run is not the result of a new strategy or a different outlook.

"I'm the same goalie, I'm just playing more," Hutton said.

And winning, too.

Hutton stopped 33 shots in his sixth straight start, helping the St. Louis Blues beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 on Tuesday night.

The 32-year-old Hutton appears to have supplanted Jake Allen as St. Louis' No. 1 goaltender. He is 8-1-1 in his last 10 starts and has stopped 94 of 96 shots over the last three games.

"When you get a chance to play some games you have to play well," Hutton said. "Before I was playing well every two weeks. Now, I'm getting more chances."

St. Louis coach Mike Yeo said the team still has plans for Allen, but he acknowledged he can't sit Hutton down while he is on a big-time roll.

"It's a mixture of confidence and desire to stay in there," Yeo said. "He's doing a great job."

Montreal captain Max Pacioretty said Hutton was the difference.

"We just weren't able to solve (Hutton) enough to give us a chance to win," Pacioretty said.

St. Louis has won five of six overall. The struggling Canadiens have lost 11 of 15.

Ivan Barbashev, Patrik Berglund and Alexander Steen scored for St. Louis, which has won its last five games against Montreal.

Charles Hudon broke up Hutton's shutout bid with a 6-on-4 goal with 1:07 remaining.

Barbashev snapped a scoreless tie with his second goal of the season early in the second period. He whipped a wrist shot from the top of the faceoff circle past goalie Carey Price, who fell to 14-18-4. Barbashev spent 21 games in the minors earlier this season.

"I've got a better pace since the start of the season," Barbashev said. "It makes me feel more comfortable out there."

Berglund pushed the lead to 2-0 with a power-play goal early in the third. He jumped on the rebound of a shot by Tage Thompson.

Steen added an empty-netter with 2:17 left.

Montreal is 2-4-2 in its last eight games and remains 10 points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

"We're not looking for moral victories, we're looking for points," Pacioretty said. "Really what we need are answers among ourselves about how to win hockey games."

Montreal winger Paul Byron left the ice after being shoved into the boards late in the third period. Coach Claude Julien said the injury does not appear to be "overly alarming."

NOTES: Montreal C Phillip Danault missed his seventh consecutive game with a concussion. ... The Blues have earned at least one point in eight of their last 10 games against Montreal. ... Canadiens D Joe Morrow returned to the lineup in place of Jordie Benn. Morrow had been a healthy scratch in the previous seven games. ... The Canadiens recorded the first nine shots of the game.

UP NEXT

Canadiens: Visit Carolina on Thursday.

Blues: Visit Boston on Thursday.

Teravainen has 2 goals, assist as Hurricanes edge Canadiens

Associated Press

MONTREAL (AP)  – Carolina kept taking the lead, only to see the Montreal Canadiens tie it up.

The Hurricanes remained resilient and found a way to come up with a victory.

Justin Williams scored the winner at 9:41 of the third period when he deflected Teuvo Teravainen's shot past Carey Price, giving Carolina a 6-5 win Thursday night. It came exactly 10 seconds after Montreal's Max Pacioretty made it 5-5 with a deflection of his own.

"Look at the character of our team," said Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward, who made 26 saves. "Being able to bounce back every time we got scored on, we responded within minutes to regain the lead. That's a compliment to the players."

Teravainen scored twice and added an assist, and Jordan Staal, Jeff Skinner and Derek Ryan and Justin Williams also had goals for the Hurricanes, who had lost their last two. Defenseman Noah Hanifin had three assists.

"We gave up four goals in the second period and still walked away with the lead," Ward said. "That doesn't happen very often."

Charles Hudon scored twice and added an assist for the Canadiens. Brendan Gallagher and Jeff Petry also scored, while Price stopped 23 of 29 shots in defeat.

"We battled hard and tied it up, but we gave them too much momentum," said Canadiens forward Paul Byron, who extended his point streak to six games.

It was a poor defensive showing by both teams in the final game before the NHL's break before the All-Star game.

Montreal fell behind early and tied it three times, but Carolina held on for its third straight victory against the Canadiens.

After Teravainen and Staal made it 2-0 in the first period for Carolina, the teams combined for seven goals in the middle frame, including five goals in a frantic 2:51 span.

Hudon got the goal frenzy started at 6:08 with an easy tap-in after Petry's shot from the point went off both posts and landed in Ward's crease.

Gallagher tied it 39 seconds later when he jumped on a bad giveaway by Brock McGinn in Carolina's zone.

But the game was tied for just 23 seconds.

Left all alone at the side of the net, Skinner made it 3-2 at 7:06 before Teravainen increased the Hurricanes' lead with his second of the game on the breakaway at 7:35.

Hudon settled a bouncing puck and beat Ward through traffic at 8:59 to bring Montreal within one.

On a complete defensive breakdown for Carolina, Petry skated from the blue line to the net unchallenged and fired the puck between Ward's pads to tie it at 4.

With 6 seconds remaining on the clock in the second, Ryan notched his 11th goal of the season to put the Hurricanes back on top.

"After the second period, tying the game up like that, we should have kept rolling, should have kept going," Byron said. "But a couple of mental mistakes put us back in the hole again. It's tough to come back from those."

After Pacioretty and Williams traded goals in the third, the Canadiens came close to tying it in the finals seconds, but Byron's shot rang off the post.

"I haven't seen that many mistakes in a while," Canadiens coach Claude Julien said. "We didn't make good decisions individually. It's not about pointing the finger because you win as a team and you lose as a team. But I would expect our players to be ready to play a game and be focused. Some of them were, but a lot of them weren't.

"Pros have to be pros. We don't babysit. We prepare guys."

NOTES: Montreal's Tomas Plekanec is one point away from 600 in his career. ... Sebastian Aho, Carolina's leading scorer, was out with a concussion.

UP NEXT

Hurricanes: vs. Ottawa on Tuesday night.

Canadiens: at St. Louis on Tuesday night.

Bruins beat Canadiens 4-1 in coach Julien's return to Boston

By KEN POWTAK
Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) -- The Bruins showed former coach Claude Julien what a changed style looks like in Boston.

David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner each scored an early goal, Tuukka Rask stopped 21 shots and the Bruins beat Montreal 4-1 Wednesday night in Canadiens coach Julien's return to Boston for the first time since he was fired nearly a year ago.

Dismissed last Feb. 7 in his 10th season, Julien - who led the Bruins to the 2011 Stanley Cup championship - was replaced by assistant and current Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, who opted for more up-tempo, charge-into-the-zone play from his defensemen as opposed to Julien's mostly defensive-minded style.

"We're trying to play with pace and have guys that can play that way," said Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid, who was back after missing 36 games with a broken leg. "It's an advantage that way. I think everyone tries to play at their strength. We've been a little bit more up-tempo."

The surging Bruins have earned at least a point in 14 straight games (10-0-4), their longest stretch since going 15-0-1 in March 2014.

Julien was bothered by the play of his team, which had played well lately, going 2-0-2 after a five-game losing streak.

"We laid an egg - not good enough," he said. "Obviously, it's a disappointing loss, especially with the situation we're in."

Brad Marchand added a power-play goal in the third period, David Krejci had an empty-netter and Patrice Bergeron had two assists for Boston, which posted its second win over the Canadiens in five days. The teams meet again in Montreal on Saturday night.

"We're trying to do that against everybody, to be honest," Cassidy of his team's style.

Jakub Jerabek scored his first NHL goal for Montreal, and Carey Price made 28 saves.

Montreal had grabbed a 1-0 lead in the game's opening minute, but failed to maintain momentum.

"We made some mistakes in the D-zone and stopped playing," Jerabek said.

Rask extended his career-best point streak to 15 games (13-0-2), including a 4-3 shootout win at Montreal last Saturday.

Trailing 1-0, Boston tied it 6:50 into the first when Pastrnak took a pass from Bergeron at the bottom of the left circle and slipped a wrister behind Price.

The Bruins took the lead early in the second when Spooner's backhander from just outside the crease caromed into the net off the right skate of Montreal forward Jonathan Drouin.

Montreal had a two-man power-play advantage for 69 seconds midway into the second - immediately after Rask made a pad stop on Drouin's clean break in - but Boston limited the Canadiens' shots to mostly lower-percentage chances from the outside.

Marchand's team-leading 19th goal came 3:40 into the period.

Jerabek's shot from the left point found its way through a group of players in front and slipped into the net 31 seconds into the game.

NOTES: Julien got a brief ovation during a video tribute midway into the opening period, but the crowd's chance for prolonged applause was drowned out by loud music until the next faceoff. "It's always something that you kind of dread a little bit," he said. "You get a little emotional, but at the same time you're trying to keep your emotions intact so you can coach a game. I appreciate what they did for me." ... Willie O'Ree, 82, was honored in a ceremonial puck drop before the game, commemorating the 60th anniversary that he became the first black player to play in an NHL game. He was with Boston and played at Montreal. ... McQuaid took the spot of Kevan Miller, who was out sick. McQuaid had been healthy for a few weeks, but unable to crack the lineup. ... It was the 740th regular season meeting between the rivals.

UP NEXT

Canadiens: At the Washington Capitals on Friday.

Bruins: At the New York Islanders on Thursday.

Tavares' 2nd goal lifts Islanders paat Canadiens 5-4 in OT

Associated Press

MONTREAL (AP) -- John Tavares got a second chance in overtime and made the most of it.

The Islanders' captain was robbed on a spectacular save by Carey Price but got the puck back and made no mistake to give New York a 5-4 victory despite being outshot 56-24 by the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night.

"That first one was a heck of a save," Tavares said of a close-range shot that Price swung out a leg to stop. "He's arguably the best goalie in the league.

"I had a chance to play with him before and seen his talent firsthand, so you know you have to be at your best and you can't take any opportunity for granted. I tried not to quit. I stayed with it and I'm glad I got an opportunity and put it in."

Tavares also had a goal in regulation as the Islanders won their third straight after a season-high five-game losing streak. More eye-catching was Mathew Barzal, coming off his second five-point game of the season in a win at the Rangers two days earlier, had a goal and two assists to give him 10 points in the last three games.

"During the season there are ups and downs," Barzal said. "There are times when you feel you're never going to score again and times when everything's going in.

"Hopefully I can just ride it for a while."

Anthony Beauvillier and Adam Pelech also scored for the Islanders, and Thomas Greiss finished with a career-high 52 saves.

Nicolas Deslauriers, Paul Byron, Jonathan Drouin and Max Pacioretty scored for Montreal, which twice tied the scored after falling behind by two goals. Price stopped 19 shots as the Canadiens fell to 2-0-2 in their last four games.

"I thought we were the better team," said Montreal coach Claude Julien. "They scored three goals on (their first) 10 shots, but we showed character in coming back.

"It's disappointing we didn't get the two points, but we got six points out of the last eight and if we keep going like that we'll be back in the race."

Pelech gave the Islanders a 3-2 lead 2:37 into the second period as he pounced on a loose puck after Barzal's shot was blocked and swept it in fromt eh slot for his first of the season.

After the Canadiens turned the puck over on a blind, backhand pass by Alex Galchenyuk, Tavares scored on a short-handed breakaway at 5:36 to give the Islanders their second two-goal lead.

For the second time this season, Montreal lost a power-play goal to the "skate in the air" offside call after a video review showed Byron's skate a millimeter or two off the ice before Schlemko scored at 12:19.

Drouin banged in a rebound of Jakub Jerabek's shot with 44 seconds left in the second for his first goal in 14 games since Nov. 29.

Pacioretty, with a goal in a fourth straight game, tied it 4-4 on a power play as he tipped in Jeff Petry's point shot with just under 7 minutes remaining in regulation.

"I don't feel I'm doing anything different," Pacioretty said of his scoring streak. "I got a couple of bounces and that's the way it goes some times.

"I feel I've been playing some good hockey for some time now and now I've got to keep going like this."

Montreal owned the puck in the opening minute, but when Barzal got it, he set up Beauvillier for a goal on the Islanders' first shot on Price 1:24 into the game.

Barzal then raced down the right side and put a shot over Price's left shoulder at 6:29 to make it 2-0. The rookie scoring leader now has three goals and seven assists in his last three games.

Deslauriers was alone on the doorstep to beat Greiss at 8:01 to pull the Canadiens within one, Jerabek picked up his first NHL point on the play.

Byron took the rebound of David Schlemko's shot off the end boards to tie the score with 7:50 remaining in the opening period.

NOTES: The Canadiens were without centers Phillip Danault (concussion) and Andrew Shaw (lower body), who were both injured in Saturday's shootout loss to Boston. Daniel Carr and Byron Froese returned to the lineup. ... The Canadiens claimed C Logan Shaw off waivers from Anaheim. He will join the team Tuesday in Boston. ... Barzal was coming off a two-goal, three-assist game in the Islanders' 7-2 win at the New York Rangers on Saturday. ... The Islanders were missing six injured regulars - forwards Josh Bailey, Nikolai Kulemin, Andrew Ladd and Casey Cizikas, and defensemen Calvin de Haan and Johnny Boychuk.

UP NEXT

Islanders: Host New Jersey on Tuesday night.

Canadiens: At Boston on Wednesday night.

Danault hit in head by Chara's slap shot; Bruins top Habs

Associated Press

MONTREAL (AP) – Canadiens center Phillip Danault was awake and moving after taking Zdeno Chara's slap shot to the head. Considering how hard Chara can shoot, many at the silent Bell Centre feared it might have been much worse.

Danault was hospitalized after a frightening play in Montreal's 4-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday night, a game that ended with Brad Marchand's goal in the fourth round of a shootout.

Danault was taken off the ice on a stretcher after he was hit in the head by Chara's shot - the 6-foot-9 defenseman didn't wind up fully for the one-timer. The 24-year-old Danault was moving and speaking to medical staff before he departed to an ovation from the Bell Centre crowd.

Canadiens coach Claude Julien said after the game that Danault would remain in a hospital overnight and would be re-evaluated Sunday.

"You never want to see that," Julien said. "Regardless if it's your own team or the other team, no one wants to see injuries like that.

"They always make you worry. The players are still worried about him, but the reports are good so far."

Chara and other players from both teams gathered around Danault while he was down. As Danault was leaving the ice, Chara went over and said something to him.

"I wanted to make sure he was OK," Chara said. "He was talking to me and responding so that made me feel better that he's OK and he's not in a condition where he's not responding. So I was glad that he was doing OK."

Officials opted to play the final 1:37 of the second after intermission.

Marchand also scored in regulation, helping the Bruins improve to 9-0-3 in their last 12 games. Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci had the other goals for Boston, and Tuukka Rask made 27 saves.

"It's different, but this was just another game," said Marchand, who also scored in regulation. "We did a good job and look forward to the next one."

Alex Galchenyuk, Max Pacioretty and Nicolas Deslauriers scored for Montreal, and Carey Price had 29 stops. It was Galchenyuk's 100th career goal.

Claude Julien coached against Boston for the first time since he was fired by the Bruins last February and hired by the Canadiens a week later.

Montreal jumped in front 3:22 into the first when Pacioretty scored for the third straight game. Victor Mete, playing his first game back after helping Canada win world junior championship gold, picked up an assist when the rebound of his point shot was tucked inside the post by the captain of the Canadiens.

Marchand responded with a power-play goal at 17:11. He was left alone in front to take a feed from Patrice Bergeron and score his 18th of the season.

DeBrusk was sent in alone by Charlie McAvoy to beat Price with a high shot 2:55 into the second. Deslauriers picked up a loose puck at the Boston blue line and beat Rask with a low shot from the slot at 5:45.

Galchenyuk put the Canadiens in front again with a power-play wrist shot under the crossbar at 8:51. It was his 11th goal of the season.

But the Bruins tied it again with 2:18 left in the second. Jakub Jerabek swiped at and missed a bouncing puck and Krejci pounced on it and beat Price from close range.

NOTES: Boston outshot Montreal 29-25 in regulation time and 32-30 overall.

UP NEXT

Bruins: Host Dallas on Monday.

Canadiens: Host the New York Islanders on Monday.

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More AP hockey: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey

Canadiens score 3 third-period goals to beat Canucks 5-2

Associated Press

MONTREAL (AP) -- The Montreal Canadiens hope to build on two straight victories for a push for a playoff spot.

Brendan Gallagher broke a tie midway through the third period, and Carey Price made 34 saves in the Canadiens' 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night.

Karl Alzner, Alex Galchenyuk, Paul Byron and Max Pacioretty also scored for Montreal. The Canadiens were coming off a shootout victory over Tampa Bay on Thursday night that snapped a five-game losing streak.

"We're starting to feel a bit better for ourselves, mentally," Gallaghe said. "Some pucks went in, which was nice, but the chances have been there of late."

Gallagher was in the slot to pick up the rebound of Alzner's shot and beat goalie Anders Nilsson with a high shot. Gallagher hen fed Byron on a rush for a goal with 1:15 left, and Pacioretty added an empty-netter in the final minurte.

"We have a tough grind ahead of us for the rest of the year, but I think we're all up to the challenge," Gallagher said. "It's going to be fun if we can get a few wins and get ourselves back closer and really put some pressure on those teams."

Daniel Sedin and Michael Del Zotto scored for Vancouver. The Canucks lost in a shootout at Toronto on Saturday night.

"It's not an excuse - teams play back to back all year," said Canucks forward Sam Gagner, whose team is 2-10-2 in its last 14 games. "We've done some good things, but obviously when you look at our record over the last couple of weeks, we have to find a way to push through. Tonight, we were a little soft on the puck at times and it ended up costing us. We've got to be better."

Alzner opened the scoring midway through the first period with his first goal in 42 games with the Canadiens and 20th in 633 career NHL games. Galchenyuk made it 2-0 on a power play early in second, one-timing Jeff Petry' pass inside the far post.

Sedin countered for Vancouver with 6:56 left in the period, beating Price with a low point shot through a screen.

Del Zotto tied it early in the third with a backhander.

NOTES: Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev sat out after taking a puck to the mouth and losing some teeth in Toronto. Ben Hutton took his spot. Forward Sven Baertschi was back in the lineup after missing 11 games with a broken jaw. ... Nilsson made 40 saves.

UP NEXT

Canucks: At Washington on Tuesday night.

Canadiens: Host Boston on Saturday night.

Canadiens score 3 third-period goals to beat Canucks 5-2

Associated Press

MONTREAL (AP) -- The Montreal Canadiens hope to build on two straight victories for a push for a playoff spot.

Brendan Gallagher broke a tie midway through the third period, and Carey Price made 34 saves in the Canadiens' 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night.

Karl Alzner, Alex Galchenyuk, Paul Byron and Max Pacioretty also scored for Montreal. The Canadiens were coming off a shootout victory over Tampa Bay on Thursday night that snapped a five-game losing streak.

"We're starting to feel a bit better for ourselves, mentally," Gallaghe said. "Some pucks went in, which was nice, but the chances have been there of late."

Gallagher was in the slot to pick up the rebound of Alzner's shot and beat goalie Anders Nilsson with a high shot. Gallagher hen fed Byron on a rush for a goal with 1:15 left, and Pacioretty added an empty-netter in the final minurte.

"We have a tough grind ahead of us for the rest of the year, but I think we're all up to the challenge," Gallagher said. "It's going to be fun if we can get a few wins and get ourselves back closer and really put some pressure on those teams."

Daniel Sedin and Michael Del Zotto scored for Vancouver. The Canucks lost in a shootout at Toronto on Saturday night.

"It's not an excuse - teams play back to back all year," said Canucks forward Sam Gagner, whose team is 2-10-2 in its last 14 games. "We've done some good things, but obviously when you look at our record over the last couple of weeks, we have to find a way to push through. Tonight, we were a little soft on the puck at times and it ended up costing us. We've got to be better."

Alzner opened the scoring midway through the first period with his first goal in 42 games with the Canadiens and 20th in 633 career NHL games. Galchenyuk made it 2-0 on a power play early in second, one-timing Jeff Petry' pass inside the far post.

Sedin countered for Vancouver with 6:56 left in the period, beating Price with a low point shot through a screen.

Del Zotto tied it early in the third with a backhander.

NOTES: Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev sat out after taking a puck to the mouth and losing some teeth in Toronto. Ben Hutton took his spot. Forward Sven Baertschi was back in the lineup after missing 11 games with a broken jaw. ... Nilsson made 40 saves.

UP NEXT

Canucks: At Washington on Tuesday night.

Canadiens: Host Boston on Saturday night.

Meier scores twice, Sharks win 4-1 to extend Canadiens' skid

Associated Press

MONTREAL (AP) -- The Montreal Canadiens called a team meeting after a loss to the San Jose Sharks extended their losing streak to five games.

Reporters were kept waiting for more than 15 minutes outside the dressing room as Canadiens players discussed the listless play of late that has left them well out of playoff position with half the season still to play.

"We didn't have everyone on board and that's frustrating," captain Max Pacioretty said after Tuesday night's 4-1 defeat. "All things considered, coming back from a road trip and where we are in the standings and knowing how many games we dropped and how many people are struggling, that's upsetting.

"We have to find a way to compete harder and win more battles."

Timo Meier had two goals, and Joe Thornton and Marc-Edouard Vlasic also scored for the Sharks (21-12-4), who were coming off a 6-0 setback Sunday in Dallas. San Jose has won four of five.

"We carried the puck with a lot of speed into the other end and I think we had them on their heels for most of the night," said Sharks veteran Logan Couture.

Andrew Shaw scored for Montreal (16-20-4), which has just four goals in the last five games and now has to face the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night.

The Canadiens were starting a five-game homestand after a dismal 2-5-0 road trip.

They had some early chances against the Sharks, but seemed to sag when Thornton opened the scoring 12:57 into the game. By the third period, fans were booing the home side.

"Not good," Pacioretty said. "We play with pride.

"The best part about playing in Montreal is the fans and the city and the passion for hockey, so when we take that out of the building through poor play and through not winning or being exciting and scoring goals and giving the fans a show, it's upsetting. Especially when it's your job to produce."

Pacioretty, a steady 30-goal scorer in recent seasons, has only eight in 40 games and has not scored since Nov. 30, but he's not the only Canadiens player struggling to find the net. Among others, Jonathan Drouin has only five goals, and none since Nov. 29.

Montreal coach Claude Julien said frustration has crept in.

"When that happens, the compete level isn't where it should be," he said. "We're just not doing our jobs out there.

"We need to refocus and get back to being committed to doing the job in all areas."

San Jose outshot Montreal 33-31.

The Canadiens wasted a string of early chances, and San Jose scored first. Justin Braun shot wide from the right point but Thornton stopped the puck and put it in from the side of the net at 12:57.

Vlasic finished a 2-on-1 with Mikkel Boedker at 11:27 of the second.

Montreal broke a drought of 132 minutes without a goal at 16:07, but it took a two-man advantage to do it. And the Canadiens didn't even shoot the puck into the net, as Pacioretty's pass to Shaw went off the center's skate and past goalie Aaron Dell.

Meier was at the edge of the crease to finish a tic-tac-toe play with Chris Tierney and Kevin Labanc on a power play at 19:50. Meier got his second of the game and eighth of the season when he picked the top corner against Carey Price on an off-wing rush down the right side 1:13 into the third.

Dell made 30 saves and has won six straight starts.

NOTES: A moment of silence, along with a scoreboard video tribute, was observed before the game for former Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Johnny Bower, who died last week at the age 93. ... In a sign of how impotent Montreal's attack has been, minor league call-up Nicolas Deslauriers won the December edition of the Molson Cup, a team award based on three-star selections.

UP NEXT

Sharks: Thursday night at Toronto.

Canadiens: Host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night.

Reimer stops 37 for another shutout, Panthers beat Habs 2-0

By PAUL GEREFFI
Associated Press

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) – James Reimer is earning his teammates' confidence with starter Roberto Luongo on the shelf.

Reimer stopped 37 shots for his second shutout in three games and the Florida Panthers beat the Montreal Canadiens 2-0 on Saturday night.

It's been a busy month for Reimer since Luongo was injured Dec. 4, and he capped December with another stellar show. He also beat Ottawa 1-0 a week ago with a 38-save effort. The Panthers won their fifth straight game with Reimer in goal.

"Now that it's going good for us, it's fun," Reimer said. "A year can be a roller coaster, sometimes things go your way sometimes they don't. You just have to take it in stride and enjoy it when it's going well."

Reimer allowed 12 goals in his first three appearances after he took over for Luongo but has allowed six goals in his past five games.

"When you're feeling (confident), the puck's big and you're reading plays," Reimer said. "It's just doing the little things that can attribute to (success)."

Vincent Trocheck and Connor Brickley scored for the Panthers. Brickley also had an assist.

The Panthers' winning streak is their longest since they won five straight from Feb. 11-20.

"It's great. You always have a smile on your face," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. "You come to the rink and you feel energized, just like a player, coaches are the same. It's nice to see the room is in a good place."

Carey Price made 32 saves for Montreal, which has lost four straight. The Canadiens have been held to one goal or fewer in four straight games.

"I would say we looked like a team that played three (games) in four (nights)," Canadiens coach Claude Julien said. "Having said that, again, you don't score goals, you don't win hockey games."

Trocheck put the Panthers ahead 2-0 with 8:11 left in the third period. MacKenzie Weegar passed across the slot to Trocheck, who fired the puck past Price.

"Obviously, we've won five in a row and we're doing some good things," Trocheck said. "At the same time, we haven't played a full 60 minutes like we want. It's just a matter of putting it all together and playing a full three periods."

Montreal captain Max Pacioretty has gone 12 games without a goal and he has only one in the last 21.

"We're all just trying to support each other and work hard every day to get out of it," Pacioretty said. "I'm sure no one in this room has really had to deal with this adversity. I sure haven't in my career."

Brickley gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead 4:02 into the second. Mark Pysyk took a shot that bounced off Brickley in the left circle. Brickley grabbed the loose puck, spun around and shot the puck past Price.

NOTES: Canadiens D David Schlemko returned to the lineup after missing the previous two games. ... Trocheck leads the Panthers with 13 points in 14 December games. ... Panthers forward Radim Vrbata missed his second straight game with an illness. ... Josiane Huberdeau, sister of Panthers C Jonathan Huberdeau, sang the Canadian national anthem before the game.

UP NEXT

Canadiens: Host San Jose on Tuesday night.

Panthers: Visit Minnesota on Tuesday night.

Deslauriers scores twice, Canadiens beat Canucks 7-5

Associated Press

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- Back indoors, the Montreal Canadiens got back on track.

Nicolas Deslauriers had the first two-goal game of his career, Carey Price made 34 saves and the Canadiens beat the Vancouver Canucks 7-5 on Tuesday night.

Montreal traveled to the West Coast after losing 3-0 outdoors to Ottawa on Saturday in the frigid NHL 100 Classic.

"It felt like in practice yesterday and this morning we were sucking dirty pond water when we were breathing," said Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty, who had two assists. "It was good to get back (and play inside)."

Jeff Petry, Daniel Carr and Philip Danault each added a goal and an assist for Montreal. Paul Byron and Alex Galchenyuk also scored.

The fourth line of Deslauriers, Carr and Byron Froese combined for five points as 14 players hit the score sheet for Montreal.

"I'm not here for my points," Deslauriers said. "But if I can contribute like this and take some pressure off our top line, it means a lot."

Montreal entered 1-3-1 over its previous five following a five-game winning streak that coincided with Price's return from a lower-body injury.

"It wasn't the ideal way to win," Petry said. "What I liked is when they capitalized and scored it seemed like we pushed back quickly."

Thomas Vanek had three goals and an assist for Vancouver, while Daniel Sedin and Brock Boeser each added a goal and an assist. Anders Nilsson stopped 25 shots, and Henrik Sedin chipped in with two assists.

"There's nothing sweet about it," Vanek said after his 10th career hat trick. "We're really struggling right now."

The Canucks have dropped six of their last seven in regulation by a combined 36-14 score. But they insisted Tuesday's game was an improvement over Sunday's 6-1 home loss to Calgary.

"Tonight was a lot better," Vanek said. "It was a step in the right direction."

Vancouver coach Travis Green agreed with that assessment.

"Had almost 40 shots, scored five goals on a pretty good goalie, played a lot more aggressive. Our compete level was a lot higher," he said.

With the score tied 3-all in a wild second period, Petry gave Montreal the lead for good with 46.1 seconds left when his shot from the point on the power play beat Nilsson cleanly through a screen.

That came three seconds after Vancouver's Alex Biega was whistled for cross checking - a call that left Green fuming.

Byron made it 5-3 at 1:37 of the third after getting a second chance on a nifty behind-the-back feed from Pacioretty for his 10th.

"You're not going hear our goalies sit there and say they're playing their best hockey of the year," Green said. "But if you're trying to get me to throw blame on our goalies, I'm not going to do that."

Boeser ripped his 18th past Price's glove to make it 5-4, but Galchenyuk restored the two-goal lead with his eighth.

Vanek and Danault exchanged goals in the final 1:01, with Danault scoring into an empty net.

"There's games that's going to be 2-1, there's games that are going to be like that," Deslauriers said. "You want to keep the scoring tight, but we responded well after every goal."

The injury-riddled Canucks got some good news before the game with Boeser's surprise return to the lineup after leaving Sunday's loss. The 20-year-old sniper, who entered Tuesday leading both his team and all NHL rookies in scoring, crawled to the bench in agony against the Flames, but tests Monday revealed only a bone bruise.

NOTES: Vancouver also got defenseman Erik Gudbranson (upper body) back after he missed 12 games, but the club is still minus two-thirds of its top line with Bo Horvat (foot) and Sven Baertschi (jaw) out, while defenseman Christopher Tanev (groin) and center Brandon Sutter (upper body) remain on the shelf. ... Montreal was without Shea Weber because of a foot injury that is being re-evaluated. The Canadiens were 4-2-1 over a seven-game stretch minus their star defenseman last month while he was dealing with the same issue.

UP NEXT

Canadiens: Play at Calgary on Friday night.

Canucks: Play at San Jose on Thursday night.

Canucks, Canadiens missing key players

Stats, LLC

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Hockey fans in Vancouver often buy their tickets for games between the Canucks and Montreal Canadiens well in advance.

However, many fans probably wished they had waited before doling out the bucks for the Tuesday night contest. Both clubs will be missing key players due to injuries when they face off at Rogers Arena.

Canadiens coach Claude Julien revealed that top defenseman Shea Weber will not play due to a foot injury. Meanwhile, the Canucks could be without top scorer Brock Boeser and one of their best defensemen, Chris Tanev, while others definitely will miss the game.

"Shea (Weber) has a problem with his foot that's not getting better," Julien said after a practice Monday in Vancouver. "We're sending him back to Montreal so our doctors can take a look at him."

The Canadiens decided not to call up a defenseman even though they are reduced to six rearguards. Weber's blue-line partner, 19-year-old rookie Victor Mete, is away with Canada's world junior championship team.

Boeser, 20, who is considered a strong candidate for NHL rookie of the year, was hurt while blocking a Mark Giordano shot Sunday in Vancouver's 6-1 loss to the Calgary Flames.

Boeser left the arena on crutches and sporting a walking boot. The Canucks called up Reid Boucher from their AHL farm club in Utica, N.Y., on Monday as an apparent replacement. However, according to a radio report, Boeser did not sustain a fracture.

Tanev missed the Sunday game due to an undisclosed injury sustained last week against the Nashville Predators. Even so, the Canucks returned defenseman Ashton Sautner to Utica on Monday.

The Canucks also have been without injured top center Bo Horvat (foot), winger Sven Baertschi (undisclosed) and Erik Gudbranson (wrist) lately, and winger Derek Dorsett's career-ending neck injury in November continues to haunt the team. Yet coach Travis Green is confident that his players will not dwell on the misfortune.

"Guys believe in themselves," Green said. "No one wants a teammate to get hurt. Guys are aware of where we are at with injuries, but they also know it's opportunity as well, and they look forward to those challenges. Each individual, they want opportunity."

As suspense builds over the injured players, the Canadiens and Canucks will try to bounce back from one-sided losses to struggling teams. Montreal was blanked 3-0 by the struggling Ottawa Senators on Saturday in an outdoor game in Canada's capital. Vancouver's dreadful effort Sunday resulted in the Flames earning only their third win in eight games -- with two coming against the Canucks.

The Sunday setback was Vancouver's third lopsided loss in four games.

"We don't want to lose like that at home ever," Canucks winger Jake Virtanen said. "We have to be able to play a full 60 minutes and be able to make an impact all the time, every shift and every line. It can't just be certain lines. It's got to be a group."

Meanwhile, Julien tried to help his club get better by adjusting his line combinations in practice Monday.

"Every once in a while, you try to shake things up," Julien said. "I didn't mind what I saw today in our lines. You shake things up, but it still boils down to our will and desire. We've shown the ability to play some real good hockey games, but we haven't shown the ability to be consistent, night in and night out."

The Canucks, who went 1-5-0 in their past six games while being outscored 26-6 in that span, are also looking for more consistency. They also need to improve on poor home record (6-8-3) as they try to win without their injured players.

"We know what it takes to win," Vancouver winger Daniel Sedin said. "We have to play the system. We need every guy now to play it -- and do a really good job."

Price, Canadiens clip Devils in OT

MONTREAL -- The New Jersey Devils flew into the Bell Centre on Thursday night still riding high from snapping the Los Angeles Kings' eight-game winning streak earlier in the week. The Devils were unable to carry some of that momentum into Montreal.

Carey Price made 31 saves and Tomas Plekanec scored the game-winning goal in overtime, lifting the Canadiens to a 2-1 win over the Devils (17-10-4). Montreal (14-14-4) snapped a three-game losing streak in the process, earning its first victory since a 10-1 rout of the Detroit Red Wings on Dec. 2.

"We really needed those two points," Plekanec said after the win. "To make sure we leave for that road trip on a positive note."

The win marks the final time the Canadiens will play at the Bell Centre in 2017, improving their record at home this season to 9-7-3.

These two clubs did not waste any time once the puck had been dropped. Cory Schneider was forced to make a huge save for the Devils just 33 seconds into the first period. Less than a minute later, with the extra attacker on the ice due to a delayed penalty, right winger Stefan Noesen fired a snap shot past Price, giving New Jersey an early 1-0 lead.

Andy Greene and Jesper Bratt picked up the assists on the goal.

"My game's finally starting to come a little bit," Noesen said of his five-game point streak. "I'm starting to kind of come into my own. But there was a game in there where I got a lucky bounce."

The Devils weren't able to hang on to that lead, though.

With 6:29 to go in the opening frame, Canadiens defenseman Jordie Benn fired a slap shot from the blue line that was tipped by Andrew Shaw past Schneider, tying the game at 1-1. Center Phillip Danault also earned an assist.

Montreal left winger Paul Byron briefly headed to the locker room early in the first, but returned to the bench shortly thereafter.

After 20 minutes of play, the Canadiens were outshooting the Devils 14-12.

"I think we started a little slow," said Canadiens center Andrew Shaw. "We tied things up and we got going, and then we got some penalties.

"But we worked hard, we competed, we blocked shots, and we got pucks that we needed to, and found a way to win in overtime."

New Jersey outshot Montreal 12-7 in the middle frame, but couldn't capitalize with the added man, despite multiple opportunities to do so, including a juicy 65-second, 5-on-3 with Byron Froese and Karl Alzner in the penalty box.

"I thought that was really the turning point right there," Habs coach Claude Julien said about staving off the Devils during that two-man disadvantage. "We were able to build from that and go back out 5-on-5 and keep working, so I thought that was a big kill, obviously."

Benn, who blocked three shots in 15 seconds during that 5-on-3, was humble about stepping up after the game.

"We were in a pretty big scramble there," he said. "I saw Price lying down, and just lying there, so I thought if I slid in behind him maybe, because they had the puck, they were going to go high, so if I could get in the way, I could. But I think Price got all those ones."

The third period was uneventful, with the exception of Montreal captain Max Pacioretty heading to the locker room after sustaining what looked like a shoulder injury. He returned to the bench with 30 seconds left in the third, and took the opening shift in overtime.

Plekanec would fire the winning goal past Schneider, the center's fourth goal of the season. Charles Hudon and Alex Galchenyuk picked up the assists.

"We really tried to win this game," rookie Devils center Nico Hischier said. "We had chances to win this game, and unfortunately it went the other way."

Montreal will now begin a seven-game road trip that starts with the Centennial Classic on Saturday in Ottawa. The Devils, meanwhile, return home to host the Dallas Stars on Friday night.

NOTES: Devils LW Taylor Hall did not make the trip to Montreal. He's sidelined with a knee injury that he sustained against the Kings on Tuesday. Hall's status is listed as day to day. ... RW Kyle Palmieri and LW Marcus Johansson also remain out of the lineup with injuries. ... The Devils also made a minor trade on Thursday night. General manager Ray Shero announced after the game that New Jersey had traded forward Ryan Kujawinski to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for forward Michael Latta. ... Canadiens D Jeff Petry earned his 100th career assist on his 30th birthday Saturday night against the Edmonton Oilers. ... Montreal LW Max Pacioretty's scoring drought was extended to five games on Thursday night. He has just one goal in his last 14 outings.

Canadiens lend Mete to Team Canada WJC camp

The Montreal Canadiens will loan rookie defenseman Victor Mete to Team Canada for this week's World Junior selection camp, the team announced Monday.

Canada opens camp Tuesday in St. Catharines, ON, and will end on Dec. 15. Mete will attempt to earn on a spot on Canada's tournament roster and play with the team from Dec. 26-Jan. 5. He failed to make last year's roster.

"We've made the decision to allow Victor Mete to join Team Canada's Selection Camp to give him an opportunity to participate in a very beneficial experience for his development," Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin said in a statement. "The World Junior Hockey Championship is a very elite and very competitive tournament, and this can be a very rewarding opportunity for a young player."

In 27 games with the Canadiens this season, Mete owns four assists and a plus-5 rating while averaging 14:52 of ice time per game.

Monahan's goal in OT leads Flames over Canadiens

MONTREAL -- When Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau gets the puck in overtime, his teammates know there's a good chance they are going to see something special.

He didn't disappoint on Thursday, setting up Sean Monahan for his second goal of the game at 1:14 of overtime to give the Flames a 3-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens, ending Calgary's three-game losing streak.

Garnet Hathaway scored his first of the season for the Flames (15-12-2) and goaltender David Rittich, making the second start of his career, made 35 saves.

Daniel Carr (second goal of the season) and Phillip Danault (fifth) scored for the Canadiens (13-13-4) and Carey Price made 34 saves as the Canadiens lost their second game in a row.

"If you watch the bench when Johnny had the puck going down, the whole bench stood up," said Hathaway, whose controversial first goal of the season had tied the game 2-2. "You know Johnny is going to make a play and (Monahan) doesn't miss from there."

Gaudreau showed a lot of patience on the right wing as Calgary defenseman TJ Brodie drove for the net and Monahan popped into the top of the slot. He took Gaudreau's pass and put in the top corner on the stick side for his 25th game-winning goal.

"When that play was going on, I'm just hoping that Johnny is going to make the play over to TJ, I believe I was and I was 'C'mon, make it, make it, make it,'" Flames coach Glen Gulutzan said. "All of sudden (Monahan) out of nowhere is there and I'm like, 'okay, that's better,' and then it goes in. You can't give him that much time in the slot. He's so lethal there."

The Flames are 6-2 in overtime this season and played beyond regulation time for the second night in a row after losing 2-1 in a shootout to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. The Flames finished their two-game road trip with three out of four points. It was their third win in their past nine games (3-4-2).

"When we get to OT, we're confident and I think we showed that again tonight. It's a big win," said Monahan, who sensed something good was going to happen when Gaudreau got the puck. "It's nice to see when he has the puck coming down the wing there and there's no one behind. Johnny is a great player and it's always a treat to be out there with him."

"At the end of the day, those guys, even if you don't see them much, they don't need much to make something happen," Canadiens coach Claude Julien said. "That's what you saw from those guys. They still managed to get a couple of goals and it wasn't because they dominated against the players they were playing against. Whenever they got an opportunity, they made the most of it."

Carr and Danault gave the Canadiens a 2-1 lead after two periods. Monahan opened the scoring with his 16th of the season in the first period.

Hathaway and his linemates on the fourth line, Sam Bennett and Mark Jankowski, buzzed around the Montreal net before Hathaway was credited with the goal that tied it 2-2 at 7:49 of the third period.

Hathaway dug at the puck and both the puck and Price wound up in the net. Referee Steve Kozari waved the goal off and announced there was incidental contact with Price.

Gulutzan then used his coach's challenge, claiming there was no goalie interference. After reviewing the play, Kozari announced it was a goal.

"We were looking at it right away," Gulutzan said, crediting video coach Jamie Pringle for pushing for the challenge. "Right way, we were, 'that's a goal.' We wanted to let them make their call and when they came over, when (referee Chris Rooney) came over, I asked what's the call on the ice -- I wanted to make sure there was no whistle infractions, the whistle went or anything like that -- and he said call on the ice was goalie interference, and we knew right away that puck was in early, so we challenged it."

Julien chose to look at the circumstances leading up to the goal.

"We lost a lot of battles along the wall, around the net area and that's what cost us the goal," he said. "This is what we have to get better at. It's an ongoing thing with our team to get better in those areas."

Price, 5-2-0 since returning after missing 10 games with a lower-body injury, credited the Flames.

"I thought we played a pretty good game tonight. We did a lot of good things," he said. "That team over there was resilient. Their goaltender played well for them and they found a way to win."

Rittich, a 25-year-old native of the Czech Republic whose idol is Canadiens great Patrick Roy, picked up his second career win.

"That kid is a fantastic kid," Gulutzan said. "He's a battler and that's what you need in these back-to-backs. I'm really happy for him. We did a good job, but he made some big saves. A guy puts in that much work, you're happy for him."

NOTES: Calgary LW Matthew Tkachuk sat out against Montreal on Thursday as he served a one-game suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday in the Flames' 2-1 shootout loss. Tkachuk poked at Toronto forward Matt Martin with his stick from the bench. Tkachuk forfeited $11,280.49. ... Calgary RW Jaromir Jagr missed his second game in a row after aggravating a lower body injury he sustained Nov. 25. ... Montreal C Jonathan Drouin, recovered from his lower-body injury after missing three games, did not play against the Flames because of illness. ... Also injured for the Canadiens were RW Ales Hemsky (concussion), LW Artturi Lehkonen (lower body), G Al Montoya (concussion) and RW Nikita Scherbak (knee). ... Canadiens D Victor Mete, 19, was scratched for the third time in eight games and is a candidate to be sent to play for Canada at the World Junior Championship Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Buffalo.

Schenn's hat trick helps Blues edge Canadiens

MONTREAL -- The St. Louis Blues could feel it coming.

Despite losing three games in a row, the last a 2-1 loss in overtime to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, the Blues said they were getting back to their game.

The same could be said for forward Brayden Schenn, who had been one of the hottest players in the NHL in the month of November with seven goals and 19 points in a nine-game stretch, but had gone without a point in his past five games.

Schenn exploded for three goals to help the Blues end their losing streak with a 4-3 victory against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre on Tuesday, ending Montreal's five-game winning streak.

Scottie Upshall also scored for the Blues (18-8-2) and Jake Allen made 22 saves.

Shea Weber scored two goals, including the 500th point of his career, and Jordie Benn scored for the Canadiens (13-13-3). Carey Price made 26 saves. It was Price's first loss since returning from a lower body injury six games ago.

Schenn's third goal at 12:11 of the third period, which deflected off the skate of Montreal defenseman David Schlemko, broke a 3-3 tie and gave the Blues the win.

"Eighty-two games, it's not going to be perfect throughout the whole time," Schenn said of his little slump. "You're going to have to grind, you're going to have to battle. Sometimes it's going to be difficult and you just have to find ways to push through it. As a team, as a line and personally, I think, in Minnesota we were able to find the game a little more and get back to what our team does best and we were able to find a win here tonight."

"He did a real good job refocusing himself and recognizing what it is that helps him get to his game," Blues coach Mike Yeo said of Schenn. "I feel that he's brought a physical element. It doesn't mean that he's running around and trying to engage in scrums after whistles, but when you see him engage physically in the defensive zone and arriving quickly in the offensive zone and separating people off pucks, that's a big factor in him getting to his game."

The Canadiens made it tough on the Blues. After the Blues scored goals seven seconds apart by Upshall and Schenn early in the second period for a 3-1 lead, Weber cut it to 3-2 with 2:56 left in the second period when he scored off a faceoff won by center Andrew Shaw. His shot sent the puck rolling on its edge, starting outside the right post and curling by Allen's left skate.

Weber tied it at 6:34 of the third period on a similar play: a Shaw faceoff win in the right wing circle back to Weber, who scored on a slap shot through Allen's pads.

It was the 10th time this season the Canadiens had given up two goals within a minute, but unlike earlier this season, they battled back.

"I thought we still showed fight," Weber said. "We could have easily thought it was over, but we didn't by any means. They took it to us for the majority of that (second) period but I thought we had a couple of shifts, especially near the end where we scored and we got life.

"When things aren't going well, it's easy to get the 'woe is me' or think that everything is against you, but I think we learned through that tough stretch, you look at any night in this league and teams come back from down three, four goals, it's nothing. There's a belief in here we can do it like anybody else and we showed it."

Canadiens coach Claude Julien said there are positives to be drawn from the loss.

"The way we've been playing lately being down 3-1, we still had an opportunity," Julien said. "That second goal gave us some life at the end of the second period. We came out in the third determined to get ourselves back in and we did. Unfortunately that was a bit of an unlucky break there at the end, the way they scored the winner. At least our team competed, didn't give up and there's a lot of good things we can take from a game like that tonight."

Allen had in interesting night. He had to leave the game for 3:27 in the second period after the blade came out of his right skate. He returned wearing an old skate on his right foot for the rest of the second period.

Then he got beat by Weber's curving shot along the ice.

"There were a couple of weird plays that I have never had happen in my life, including the blade," Allen said. "I've seen that a few times this year. It just must be just the way the skates are going now, I guess. I tried to get up and I fell. I had no blade left. Both bolts broke out of my blade.

"(Weber's first goal) was another one of the weirdest plays I've ever had. It curved like two feet. I didn't even try it was going so wide. All I heard was 'ding.' He sort of reacted, 'What happened there?' He knew it was going wide, too."

NOTES: Canadiens D Shea Weber became the fourth active defenseman to reach the 500-point plateau, joining Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins, Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks and Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks. ... Scratched for the Blues were RW Vince Dunn, C Oskar Sundqvist and RW Chris Thorburn. Dunn was scratched for the second game in a row after playing in the Blues first 26 games. ... The Blues' injuries are long term. LW Zach Sanford is out 4-to-5 months with a shoulder injury and C Robby Fabbri is out for the season with a knee injury. ... Canadiens C Jonathan Drouin missed his third game with a lower body injury. He is day-to-day. ... Also injured for the Canadiens were RW Ales Hemsky (concussion), LW Artturi Lehkonen (lower body), G Al Montoya (concussion) and RW Nikita Scherbak (knee).

Wheeler, Price and Faksa Named NHL ‘Three Stars’ of the Week

NEW YORK – Winnipeg Jets right wing Blake Wheeler, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price and Dallas Stars center Radek Faksa have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending Dec. 3.

FIRST STAR – BLAKE WHEELER, RW, WINNIPEG JETS

Wheeler led the NHL with 2-8—10, including a trio of three-point performances, in four contests to propel the Jets (17-6-4, 38 points) to a 3-0-1 week and the top of the Western Conference standings. He recorded 1-2—3 in a 7-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild Nov. 27. After being held off the scoresheet in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche Nov. 29, Wheeler bounced back with three assists in a 7-4 win against the Vegas Golden Knights Dec. 1. He then capped the week with 1-3—4, his League-leading third four-point effort of the season, in a 5-0 triumph over the Ottawa Senators Dec. 3. The 31-year-old Plymouth, Minn., native paces the NHL with 28 assists and ranks fourth in the League with 35 points through 27 games this season.

SECOND STAR – CAREY PRICE, G, MONTREAL CANADIENS

Price went 4-0-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average and .950 save percentage to help the Canadiens (13-12-3, 29 points) post a perfect week and extend their win streak to five games overall. He yielded one goal in each of his first two outings, making 37 saves in a 3-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets Nov. 27 and 27 stops in a 2-1 triumph against the Ottawa Senators Nov. 29. Price then earned consecutive wins against the Detroit Red Wings, recording 28 saves in a 6-3 victory Nov. 30 and 22 stops in a 10-1 triumph Dec. 2. The 30-year-old Anahim Lake, B.C., native – who has won all five of his starts since returning from injury Nov. 25 – is 8-7-1 in 16 appearances this season (2.93 GAA, .905 SV%, 1 SO).

THIRD STAR – RADEK FAKSA, C, DALLAS STARS

Faksa registered a League-best five goals (5-2—7) and +7 rating (tied) in four games to power the Stars (16-10-1, 33 points) to a 4-0-0 week. He scored his first career hat trick, with all three goals coming in a 6:46 span of the second period, in a 3-0 triumph over the Vegas Golden Knights Nov. 28. Faksa then posted 1-1—2, his fifth multi-point outing of the season, in 4-3 overtime victory against the Chicago Blackhawks Nov. 30. He added one goal in a 3-2 shootout win over the Blackhawks Dec. 2 and one assist in a 7‑2 triumph against the Colorado Avalanche Dec. 3. The 23-year-old Vitkov, Czech Republic, native ranks fifth on the Stars with 10-6—16 in 26 contests this season.

Gallagher scores twice, Canadiens beat Red Wings 6-3

By NOAH TRISTER
Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — Now on their longest winning streak of the season, the Montreal Canadiens have recovered from their terrible start.

Brendan Gallagher scored twice, and his Montreal teammates added three goals in the second period on the way to a 6-3 victory over the struggling Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night.

The Canadiens have won four straight and are in the third place in the Atlantic Division — a quick turnaround for a team that started the season 1-6-1.

“We have been better for a while now, but now we are fighting harder and winning games,” said Alex Galchenyuk, who scored one of Montreal’s second-period goals. “That’s what we needed — to find ways to win.”

Charles Hudon and Andrew Shaw scored 43 seconds apart for the Canadiens in the second. Max Pacioretty also scored to help Claude Julien to his 100th win as Montreal’s coach.

Anthony Mantha, Tomas Tatar and Frans Nielsen scored for Detroit. The Red Wings have lost six straight, although three of those defeats came in overtime.

Detroit led 2-1 in the second when the puck came to Hudon after a scramble in front. He lifted it past goalie Jimmy Howard for the tying goal. Moments later, Shaw took a pass from Phillip Danault and beat Howard with a wrist shot.

“You can’t give away easy goals in this league and expect to win. We better figure it out,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “The other thing I’d say is not enough guys with the real crazy commitment to winning.”

Galchenyuk made it 4-2 late in the second.

“Individually, everyone’s got to look at themselves in the mirror and be better, win more battles,” Detroit’s Justin Abdelkader said. “We had the lead going into the second period and self-destruct a bit, turn some pucks over. Against a team like Montreal, they live off turnovers, especially in the neutral zone. So you’ve got to take care of the puck.”

Gallagher has 12 goals this season. Both his goals Thursday came on deflections in front. The second made it 5-2 in the third, and Pacioretty added a power-play goal later in the period.

Nielsen’s goal came on the power play as well and made it 6-3.

Gallagher gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal in the first, but Mantha answered 64 seconds later with his 12th of the season. Tatar put Detroit up 2-1 with a power-play goal, beating Carey Price with a wrist shot from the left circle.

“Shaky start, when you look at — third game in four nights, and got in in the early morning,” said Julien, whose team won at home against Ottawa on Wednesday. “We had some heavy legs. I think that we had to kind of get going, and I thought from the second period on we were a much better team.”

Price won both games of the back-to-back set for Montreal, and he’s 4-0 since returning from a lower-body injury. His save percentage in that span is .962.

“I thought the confidence started coming around before Carey came back,” Julien said. “But when Carey comes in, that’s another added element. The confidence level certainly takes another jolt in the right direction.”

NOTES: Gallagher has 99 goals in his career. ... Detroit outshot the Canadiens 31-25. ... Montreal was without D Shea Weber (lower body) and forward Jonathan Drouin.

UP NEXT

The Canadiens and Red Wings play the back end of their home-and-home series in Montreal on Saturday night.

Gallagher scores twice, Canadiens beat Red Wings 6-3

By NOAH TRISTER
Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — Now on their longest winning streak of the season, the Montreal Canadiens have recovered from their terrible start.

Brendan Gallagher scored twice, and his Montreal teammates added three goals in the second period on the way to a 6-3 victory over the struggling Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night.

The Canadiens have won four straight and are in the third place in the Atlantic Division — a quick turnaround for a team that started the season 1-6-1.

“We have been better for a while now, but now we are fighting harder and winning games,” said Alex Galchenyuk, who scored one of Montreal’s second-period goals. “That’s what we needed — to find ways to win.”

Charles Hudon and Andrew Shaw scored 43 seconds apart for the Canadiens in the second. Max Pacioretty also scored to help Claude Julien to his 100th win as Montreal’s coach.

Anthony Mantha, Tomas Tatar and Frans Nielsen scored for Detroit. The Red Wings have lost six straight, although three of those defeats came in overtime.

Detroit led 2-1 in the second when the puck came to Hudon after a scramble in front. He lifted it past goalie Jimmy Howard for the tying goal. Moments later, Shaw took a pass from Phillip Danault and beat Howard with a wrist shot.

“You can’t give away easy goals in this league and expect to win. We better figure it out,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “The other thing I’d say is not enough guys with the real crazy commitment to winning.”

Galchenyuk made it 4-2 late in the second.

“Individually, everyone’s got to look at themselves in the mirror and be better, win more battles,” Detroit’s Justin Abdelkader said. “We had the lead going into the second period and self-destruct a bit, turn some pucks over. Against a team like Montreal, they live off turnovers, especially in the neutral zone. So you’ve got to take care of the puck.”

Gallagher has 12 goals this season. Both his goals Thursday came on deflections in front. The second made it 5-2 in the third, and Pacioretty added a power-play goal later in the period.

Nielsen’s goal came on the power play as well and made it 6-3.

Gallagher gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal in the first, but Mantha answered 64 seconds later with his 12th of the season. Tatar put Detroit up 2-1 with a power-play goal, beating Carey Price with a wrist shot from the left circle.

“Shaky start, when you look at — third game in four nights, and got in in the early morning,” said Julien, whose team won at home against Ottawa on Wednesday. “We had some heavy legs. I think that we had to kind of get going, and I thought from the second period on we were a much better team.”

Price won both games of the back-to-back set for Montreal, and he’s 4-0 since returning from a lower-body injury. His save percentage in that span is .962.

“I thought the confidence started coming around before Carey came back,” Julien said. “But when Carey comes in, that’s another added element. The confidence level certainly takes another jolt in the right direction.”

NOTES: Gallagher has 99 goals in his career. ... Detroit outshot the Canadiens 31-25. ... Montreal was without D Shea Weber (lower body) and forward Jonathan Drouin.

UP NEXT

The Canadiens and Red Wings play the back end of their home-and-home series in Montreal on Saturday night.

Price leads Canadiens to 3rd straight win, 2-1 over Senators

Associated Press
MONTREAL (AP) — As poorly as Carey Price played early in the season, he is making up for it now.

Price made 27 saves for his third win in three starts since he missed 10 games with a lower body injury, helping the Montreal Canadiens beat the slumping Ottawa Senators 2-1 on Wednesday night.

The star goaltender, who began the season 3-7-1 with a 3.77 goals-against average, is 3-0-0 and has allowed only two goals on 102 shots since he returned last week.

“He’s been our best player,” forward Andrew Shaw said. “He’s calm, he’s cool, he’s making big-time saves and working hard for us.

“We’re trying to do the same for him. Even when they dump it in he’s like a third defenseman for us, moving the puck and getting it out of our end.”

Jonathan Drouin scored on his first NHL penalty shot and Phillip Danault also had a goal for Montreal, which ended a three-game homestand.

Mark Stone scored his 14th goal for Ottawa, which has lost seven straight games for its longest drought since also going 0-6-1 from Jan. 21 to Feb. 7, 2012.

The Senators have not won since sweeping a pair of games from Colorado in Stockholm, Sweden, on Nov. 10-11.

The Senators had chances, but couldn’t score on three power plays in the second period.

“We played pretty well right from the start of the game,” forward Zack Smith said. “You could tell it was two desperate teams. ... If we had capitalized on any one of the power plays we would have won. But same thing. A couple of missed assignments. A couple of lapses, and that’s the NHL. That will cost you the game.”

Ottawa goalie Mike Condon, pressed into service by Montreal when Price missed most of the 2015-16 season with an injury, started against his former team for the first time and finished with 29 saves.

“I moved on pretty quickly after everything happened,” Condon said of facing the Canadiens. “It’s always fun coming into this building. ... It’s always lively and there’s lots of energy so it was great to come back. I just wish we could have got a better outcome.”

The Senators struck short-handed when Stone intercepted Alex Galchenyuk’s pass at the right point, skated in alone and beat Price with a backhander 4:02 into the game.

Drouin tied it 2:56 into the second on a penalty shot after he was hooked from behind on a breakaway by Cody Ceci. Drouin beat Condon with a low wrist shot off a post. The last Canadiens player to score on a penalty shot was Dale Weise against Boston on Nov. 13, 2014.

“It was actually kind of nerve-wracking,” said Drouin, who had not taken a penalty shot since junior hockey. “I had two moves in my head and decided to shoot at the last second. ... It was a cool moment.”

Danault darted to the net to one-time Andrew Shaw’s feed past Condon at 5:14 for his first goal in 15 games.

NOTES: Senators defenseman and captain Erik Karlsson has not scored a point in his last seven games. ... Canadiens D Shea Weber missed a fifth straight game with a lower-body injury. Coach Claude Julien said Weber will make the trip to Detroit but is not certain to play. ... The Canadiens paid tribute to Mark Recchi in a pregame ceremony for his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. His name and number were added to the ring of honor at the Bell Centre. Video tributes were read on the scoreboard from former teammates Saku Koivu and Vincent Damphousse. Recchi scored 120 goals in 346 games in five seasons in Montreal in the 1990s. His picture will go up in the dressing room with the team’s 47 other Hall of Famers.

UP NEXT

Senators: At the New York Islanders in the second game of a seven-game trip.

Canadiens: At Detroit on Thursday night to open a home-and-home set.