The Minnesota Wild out-played the Montreal Canadiens last night at the Centre Bell, winning convincingly 3-1. The Wild improved to 2-3-1, while the Canadiens dropped to 3-4.
One Big Performance for the Minnesota Wild in Win Over Canadiens
Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was spectacular, stopping 26 of 27 shots and improving his record to 2-1-1. Although not tested often, he came up with incredible stops to halt Montreal from taking the lead. Brandon Duhaime and Joel Eriksson Ek each had two points in the win. Duhaime scored the game-winning goal and added an assist, while Eriksson Ek scored two goals.
Montreal was without star rookie Juraj Slafkovsky, Michael Pezzetta, and Corey Schueneman. Minnesota was without the services of Alex Goligoski and Mason Shaw.
The fifth goal of the season by winger Cole Caufield was the only highlight for the Canadiens. His five goals place him amongst the leaders for goal-scoring this season. Caufield has been creating opportunities in the offensive zone, and his hard work is paying off. He knows when and when not to get into scoring areas, creating separation at every opportunity.
Both teams were unsuccessful on the power play, going 0-for-3. Montreal goaltender Jake Allen was solid in the net as the Minnesota Wild outshot Montreal 31-27. Minnesota is fourth in the league on the power play at 32%, and the Canadiens are 31st at 4.8%.
The Canadiens now take to the road as five of their next six are away from the Centre Bell. The only home game is against the Vegas Golden Knights on November 5th. The Wild are 2-3 in their last five and play six of their next eight on the road, with home games against Montreal on November 1st and the Seattle Kraken on November 3rd.
The Minnesota Wild should build off this win against Montreal, as they have a brutal stretch of games ahead. The Canadiens can use this loss as a stepping stone to place themselves within the division and the league.
Today, the Canadiens acquired defenseman Nicolas Beaudin from the Chicago Blackhawks for forward Cam Hillis. Chicago drafted Beaudin in the first round (27th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft. He likely will report to the AHL affiliate of the Canadiens, Laval Rocket,