Montoya, Canadiens blank Penguins
Send a link to a friend
[October 19, 2016]
MONTREAL -- The Montreal
Canadiens are used to their starting goaltender giving them a chance
to win. Only these days, it's been Al Montoya who's been making save
after save to keep them in games.
Montoya, making his third straight start while No. 1 netminder Carey
Price recovers from an illness, stopped all 36 shots he faced to
help the Canadiens to a 4-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on
Tuesday night at the Bell Centre.
Canadiens center David Desharnais scored twice in the victory.
"I feel like I've been trying to make a statement for a while," said
Montoya, who earned his sixth career shutout and first since Dec.
31, 2013, against the Buffalo Sabres. "For me it's just an
opportunity to play. I don't try to overdo anything. I come out
here, have fun and play my game and let the rest take care of
itself."
Max Pacioretty and Alexander Radulov also scored for Montreal
(2-0-1), which earned the 3,300th win in the franchise's NHL
history.
Marc-Andre Fleury, making his second start in as many nights,
stopped 28 shots as the Penguins (2-1-1) lost for the first time in
regulation.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Oct/19/images/ads/current/pest-control-SDA-Termites-2015.png)
Pacioretty got the crowd roaring just 23 seconds into the first
period. Jeff Petry found the left winger in the high slot, and
Pacioretty skated just inside the left circle before sniping home
his first of the season. The goal set a team record for fastest goal
in a Canadiens home opener, breaking Bobby Rousseau's previous best
of 25 seconds, set in 1964-65.
But while Montreal led on the scoreboard, the Penguins started to
take over as the period went on. Midway through the period, the
visitors held an 11-4 edge on the Canadiens on the shot clock. By
the end of the first 20 minutes, Pittsburgh had tossed 17 shots
Montoya's way (to 13 for Montreal).
"We always need our goalie," Desharnais said. "We're a team that
relies a lot on our goalie, and Al did in an incredible job tonight
and in the first two games, too."
The Penguins had their chances, with home side falling into penalty
trouble in the first two periods but could only muster three shots
on four opportunities, including a double-minor.
"We weren't sharp," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "Our zone
entries weren't clean and we didn't make good decisions with the
puck. Our power play was good at the start of this young season but
not tonight."
Desharnais doubled Montreal's lead at 12:07 of the second period.
Pacioretty picked up a loose puck after Andrew Shaw forced a
turnover on the forecheck and sent a no-look backhand pass to
Desharnais, who was left all alone in front of Fleury.
Referees were busy early in the third, calling seven infractions in
a span of a minute and a half within the first five minutes of the
period. The bulk of the calls went against the Penguins.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Oct/19/images/ads/current/pestcontrol_bch_termites.png)
[to top of second column] |
![](../images/101816pics/sports84.jpg)
Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) makes a save against Montreal
Canadiens left wing Paul Byron (41) during the second period at Bell
Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Aug/26/images/ads/current/pacesetter_lda_041116.png)
"We have to be more disciplined," Sullivan said. "We can't be taking
all these penalties night after night and hope for a good result.
We're putting ourselves in a tough situation. But in the first half
of the game, we had the majority of the power plays and our power
play didn't execute. That could have made the difference but we
didn't get the job done."
Radulov brought about chants of "Radu! Radu! Radu!" from the crowd
on a Canadiens power play at 4:31 of third period. Alex Galchenyuk
sent a perfect feed through the neutral zone to Radulov, who skated
into the Penguins' end, outwaited the Pittsburgh defenseman who
dropped to the ice to block the shot, and then skated over to the
left circle before firing it past Fleury.
"I had a good pass from Chucky, and Gally (Brendan Gallagher) was
driving the net," Radulov explained. "I just cut to the middle and
took a shot, and it went in."
Desharnais picked up his second of the night at 13:44 of the third
after Fleury stopped several shots in close. Andrei Markov found
Petry along the right boards, and the Canadiens defenseman then
quickly sent it off to Desharnais on the left edge of the crease.
"They were waiting for us," said Fleury. "But, we'll have games like
this during the season. We have to find a way to keep our game
simple to get the two points."
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Oct/19/images/ads/current/richardson_lda_090916.png)
NOTES: Penguins RW Bryan Rust returned to the lineup after missing
his team's first three games with injury. ... After sitting the
first two games as a healthy scratch, Montreal C/W Brian Flynn made
his season debut, while rookie D Mikhail Sergachev returned to the
lineup after being scratched on Saturday night. ... LW Daniel Carr,
D Greg Pateryn and D Zach Redmond were scratched for the Canadiens.
... Pittsburgh scratched C Sidney Crosby (concussion), LW Tom
Sestito and D Derrick Pouliot. ... Seven Habs players skated in
their first home opener at the Bell Centre: Sergachev, D Shea Weber,
RW Alexander Radulov, RW Andrew Shaw, rookie LW Artturi Lehkonen and
LW Phillip Danault.
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |