For the second match in a row, the Canadiens created plenty of chances to win, and this time they managed to turn their strong performance into a victory.
Zachary Bolduc scored in the shootout as Montreal beat the Detroit Red Wings 1–0 on Saturday evening at the Bell Centre.
The Habs had put in a strong performance against the Nashville Predators on Thursday, but ultimately lost 5–2. It was a similar story against the Red Wings, but Martin St-Louis’s side brought an end to a run of three defeats.
Bolduc found the net in the sixth round of the shootout. Jacob Fowler then made the save against Nate Danielson.
The Habs were not helped by the fact that three of their goals were disallowed by the officials.
Fowler put in a solid performance, making 30 saves in goal for the Canadiens (2-2-1).
For the Red Wings (1-3-1), Daniil Tarasov looked shaky but still managed to save 30 shots.
The crowd chanted “We want Larkin!” on several occasions, as the Red Wings forward had requested a trade during the off-season. Some analysts reported that the Canadiens were interested in his services.
Defender Kaiden Guhle was playing his first game of the season for the Canadiens. Guhle missed the first four games of the season after undergoing surgery on an adductor muscle on 10 August.
Forward Florian Xhekaj has been ruled out as he undergoes treatment for a minor injury, the nature of which has not been disclosed.
Cole Caufield thought he had opened the scoring by finding the net with a shot from a tight angle after 1:16 of play. However, the officials disallowed the goal following a lengthy video review, ruling that the puck had never crossed the goal line.
The Canadiens didn’t give up and controlled the game for long stretches. Tarasov was called upon to make some fine saves from shots by Nick Suzuki and Bolduc.
The Red Wings were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief when the Canadiens showed a lack of discipline. The visitors even created some good scoring chances, but Fowler kept them at bay.
History repeated itself in the second period. Bolduc beat Tarasov after 7:03 of play, but the referees disallowed the goal, ruling that Jake Evans had interfered with the Red Wings’ goalkeeper during the play.
The Canadiens continued to threaten Tarasov’s goal, but were unable to find the back of the net. The Habs’ power play even came up empty-handed during a lengthy spell whilst Red Wings forward Andrew Copp was without a stick.
At the other end of the rink, Fowler rose to the occasion when the Red Wings came knocking. He produced his finest save, using his pad to deny Alex DeBrincat, who had been left unmarked in front of goal.
Fowler continued to hold the fort for the Canadiens early in the third period, making another magnificent save against Copp, who had broken clear.
Alexandre Texier thought for a moment he’d been the hero, beating Tarasov with 2:21 remaining in overtime. Once again, the goal was disallowed following a video review, as there had been an offside as he entered the zone.
Bolduc finally settled the tie in the penalty shootout.
The Canadiens will play their next match on Tuesday, when they host the Buffalo Sabres at the Bell Centre.
Keep it Factual
Add CityNews Montreal as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.
