Duhaime, Dewar score short-handed goals 25 seconds apart as Wild beat Canadiens 5-2

Minnesota Wild's Joel Eriksson Ek (14) scores on Montreal Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault (35) as David Savard (58) tries to defend during second period NHL hockey action in Montreal on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Brandon Duhaime and Connor Dewar scored short-handed goals 25 seconds apart in the first period and the Minnesota Wild didn’t look back in a 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.

Joel Eriksson Ek scored twice on the power play, and Kirill Kaprizov added another to round out the goals for Minnesota (2-1-0), which dominated on special teams. Mats Zuccarello had three assists.

Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 saves in his first start of the NHL season, receiving a loud cheer from the away fans after the win. The 38-year-old from Sorel, Que., told reporters Monday it could also be his final start in his home province.

Tanner Pearson and Alex Newhook replied for Montreal (1-1-1).

Samuel Montembeault stopped 30 shots in the Canadiens net.

The Wild went 3-for-8 on the power play. The Canadiens were 0-for-4 with the man-advantage.

Duhaime opened the scoring midway through the first period on a short-handed two-on-one after the Canadiens failed to gain the zone on multiple occasions.

Dewar added to Montreal’s misery moments later with a bizarre goal that went over Montembeault’s head and was knocked in by his own defenceman, Arber Xhekaj.

It was Montreal’s first time allowing two short-handed goals on the same power play since April 11, 2009, against Fleury’s Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Canadiens were lucky not to be down more in the first as Minnesota hit the post or crossbar on three separate occasions.

Despite facing just five shots in the first, Fleury had to be sharp with a couple saves in front of the net on Newhook and Josh Anderson.

The Wild did their damage in a different manner in the second, taking advantage of an undisciplined Canadiens team.

With Minnesota on a 5-on-3 power play, Eriksson Ek buried a pass from Zuccarello in front of the net.

Pearson scored on Montreal’s sixth shot of the game 9:47 into the second, bringing the Bell Centre crowd to life.

But that was short-lived as Kaprizov made it 4-1 on the power play late in the period after Montreal’s Juraj Slafkovsky took a penalty in the offensive zone.

Fleury was tested early in the third but robbed Canadiens defenceman Jonathan Kovacevic in front of the net, falling on his back to make a vintage cartwheel save. Eriksson Ek then added a second 5:20 into the frame.

Canadiens forward Michael Pezzetta, in his first game of the season, fought a second time in the chippy affair to get his team going.

Fleury, however, turned aside any Montreal pressure, including a stop on Canadiens sniper Cole Caufield’s one-timer on the power play.

Newhook cut the Canadiens’ deficit to 5-2 with just over two minutes left, his third of the season.

INJURIES

Canadiens defenceman Kaiden Guhle (undisclosed) left for the dressing room late in the second and did not return. It’s another injury for the Canadiens after second-line centre Kirby Dach sustained a “significant” injury Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks.

For the Wild, forward Matt Boldy is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury sustained Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, general manager Bill Guerin told reporters on Monday. Captain Jared Spurgeon was also out with an upper-body injury on Tuesday.

QUEBEC CONNECTION

The matchup between Fleury and Montembeault, of Becancour, Que., marked the first time two Quebec-born goalies faced off in Montreal since Jan. 3, 2006.

Fleury, who turns 39 in November, ranks third all-time in wins with 545, behind fellow Quebec-born netminders Patrick Roy (551) and Martin Brodeur (691).

UP NEXT

Canadiens: Host the Washington Capitals on Saturday.

Wild: Host the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2023.