Montreal recalled the 21-year-old Fowler from Laval of the AHL after Tuesday’s 6-1 home loss against Tampa Bay. In that game, Jakub Dobes allowed three goals on 11 shots and Sam Montembeault gave up three goals on 10 shots in relief.
Montreal allowed more than five goals in three of its previous six games before recalling Fowler, the No. 69 overall pick in 2023. He played two NCAA seasons at Boston College and was 10-5 with a .919 save percentage and a 2.09 goals-against average with Laval.
Kapanen scored 15 seconds after Rust made it 3-1 to give Fowler and the Canadiens a three-goal lead in the third period.
Texier gave Fowler and the Canadiens an early lead. He stripped Penguins’ D Kris Letang of the puck at the blueline and beat Jarry with a glove-side wrist shot 2:54 into the game.
Gallagher put Montreal ahead 2-0 at 4:37 of the second period. He took a cross-ice pass from Lane Hutson and fired a wrist shot that beat Jarry high and to the blocker side.
Caufield added a power-play goal for a 3-0 lead at 10:18. He was behind the goal when he banked a shot off Jarry’s skates and into the net.
Up next
Canadiens: Visit the New York Rangers on Saturday.
Penguins: Continue a five-game homestand Saturday against San Jose.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Dan Scifo, The Associated Press