A late goal by Tomas Plekanec and an empty-net marker with nine seconds remaining was all it took for the Canadiens to earn a hard-fought 2-0 victory over the Red Wings in Detroit Monday.
Plekanec scored his 17th of the season on a low blocker-side slapshot from the slot after Dale Weise deftly slide him the puck collected off a rebound of a Max Pacioretty shot.
Canadiens netminder Carey Price turned back 25 shots for the Canadiens.
Red Wings' netminder Jimmy Howard, making his second start since missing five weeks with a groin injury, stopped 27 shots as the Red Wings dropped their third straight. They have lost all three games against the Canadiens this season.
Detroit defenceman Jonathan Ericsson lost his stick, and the puck, in front of Howard early in the third period and Pacioretty gained possession, but his point-blank shot was wide.
Pavel Datsyuk and Gustav Nyquist had swipes at the puck near a prone Price later in the period, but the game stayed scoreless into the final minutes.
The Canadiens also had several chances to score the game's first goal during a power play late in the second but couldn't convert despite five shots on Howard.
Plenty of Montreal fans made the trip across the Detroit River to see their team, and the sellout crowd frequently got loud with opposing chants for the Original Six rivals.
The Canadiens continued to keep hold of the top spot in the Conference and are now 37-15-4.
“It’s never easy to play against the Red Wings but I feel the team is increasingly at ease playing those close games and that’s a good sign,” said Coach Michel Therrien after the game.
The Canadiens next play in Montreal against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday.
-With a file from The Canadian Press
