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 Defenseman P.K. Subban and right winger Brendan Gallagher each
had a goal and an assist to lead the Canadiens to a 4-1 win over the
Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena on Sunday night.
The Canadiens, playing their fourth game in six days and their
second game in two nights, earned their sixth consecutive victory
and improved their league-best record to 14-4-1. They defeated the
Philadelphia Flyers 6-3 Saturday night in Montreal.
"Before the game, we spoke about all the excuses that, maybe, we
could use to not come out strong," Subban said. "We wanted to come
out without any excuses tonight. We wanted to put forth our best
effort."
Left winger Brandon Prust and center Tomas Plekanec also scored for
Montreal. Canadiens goaltender Dustin Tokarski made 28 saves.
"We were playing our fourth game in six days, back-to-back, and
playing a Detroit Red Wings team that's a good team that plays with
good structure," Montreal coach Michel Therrien said. "We could have
had a lot of excuses, but the guys didn't take any excuses."
Center Riley Sheahan scored for Detroit. Red Wings goalie Jimmy
Howard stopped 15 shots.
"I thought we didn't have much jump and much energy, for whatever
reason," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "We scheduled a day off
yesterday because we had to (due to the collective bargaining
agreement), we travel so much this month and couldn't get enough
(off) days. We knew going in we didn't want to do that, but that's
the way it goes. But we should have competed and skated better than
we did tonight."
The Canadiens scored twice in the second period to take a 2-0 lead.
Prust opened the scoring 3:20 into the middle period when his shot
from the right circle went in off of Howard's glove for his first
goal of the season. It came five seconds after Montreal killed off a
hooking penalty to defenseman Sergei Gonchar. Prust picked up the
puck along the right wing boards, and a three-on-one developed.
"Actually, I was thinking pass all the way because I knew they had a
guy coming out of the box," Prust said. "But the puck was rolling,
so I just shot it."
Subban made it 2-0 with his fifth goal, and second in two games, at
8:36 of the second.
His one-time slap shot from just inside the blue line in the middle
of the ice was headed wide but deflected off the inside of Detroit
defenseman Kyle Quincey's left leg -- with Quincey in the lower
portion of the right circle -- and past Howard.
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Plekanec got his seventh goal 1:47 into the third period when he put
in a loose puck to make it 3-0.
Sheahan's power-play goal put the Red Wings on the board 4:06 of
into the third period. He backhanded in a rebound for his second
goal.
"It's tough to pinpoint," Sheahan said of Detroit's difficulties
Sunday. "We were kind of inconsistent. Some shifts we showed a
glimpse of great work, and others were kind of we weren't really
thinking much."
Gallagher got his fifth goal 8:41 into the third when, on one knee,
he banked the puck in off Howard from behind the net.
"His work ethic is always 100 percent," Therrien said of Gallagher.
"Tonight, he got rewarded."
NOTES: Detroit D Jakub Kindl was a healthy scratch. He was replaced
in the lineup by D Brian Lashoff. ... Montreal was without LW
Michael Bournival because of a shoulder injury. ... Former Red Wings
Dominik Hasek and Mike Modano, who is from suburban Detroit, and
former Canadiens coach Pat Burns -- a Montreal native who died in
2010 -- are scheduled to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on
Monday. ... Montreal LW Max Pacioretty played at the University of
Michigan. ... Canadiens D Mike Weaver played at Michigan State. ...
Red Wings legend that Hockey Hall of Famer Gordie Howe's condition
has worsened, according to his son Mark, who is Detroit's director
of pro scouting. Howe, 86, suffered a severe stroke on Oct. 26 but
had appeared to be on the way to recovery.
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