The Canadiens hold off Connor McDavid and the Oilers in a 3-0 win

Montreal Canadiens' Brendan Gallagher (11) celebrates his goal against the Edmonton Oilers with teammates Mike Matheson (8) and Juraj Slafkovsky (20) during the second period of the NHL hockey game in Montreal on Monday Nov. 18, 2024. (The Canadian Press/Christinne Muschi)

Goaltender Samuel Montembeault stopped all 30 shots he faced as the Montreal Canadiens secured one of their most impressive victories of the season, a 3-0 shutout against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night at the Bell Centre.

Brendan Gallagher (8th) scored the eventual game-winning goal in the final minute of the second period.

Kaiden Guhle, whom many spectators initially feared had suffered a serious injury earlier in the game, added an insurance goal against Calvin Pickard, who made 23 saves.

Jake Evans (4th) sealed the win with an empty-net goal from deep in his own zone with just over three minutes remaining in the game.

Montembeault came up with crucial saves and benefited from consistent support from his teammates throughout the game.

This collective effort allowed him to earn his third career shutout and his second of the season.

The Canadiens will enjoy a relatively calm week, with their next game scheduled for Saturday at the Bell Centre against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Guhle’s sudden exit

While the first period didn’t produce any goals, it featured several spectacular moments.

Early in the frame, Connor McDavid brought the crowd to life with a dazzling deke that completely bewildered Cole Caufield just inside the Canadiens’ zone, creating a strong scoring chance for the Oilers.

Shortly after, Lane Hutson returned the favour with a brilliant move of his own, leaving Connor Brown scrambling before the Oilers forward tripped the young Canadiens defenseman—a play that resulted in a penalty.

Midway through the period, Canadiens fans were left holding their breath after a worrying sequence.

The Oilers had maintained pressure in the Canadiens’ zone for an extended stretch and drew a delayed penalty when Evan Bouchard unleashed a powerful shot that struck Guhle near his left wrist.

As play stopped and the penalty against Josh Anderson was called, Guhle was seen rushing to the dressing room.

He missed the remainder of the period but returned to start the second. In fact, Guhle had the Canadiens’ first quality scoring chance of the middle frame with 1:39 left. However, Pickard denied his shot from the top of the left faceoff circle.

Just over a minute later, Gallagher opened the scoring by deflecting a Mike Matheson shot into the upper-right corner of the net.

The goal was Gallagher’s 226th career tally, tying him with former teammate Max Pacioretty for 18th place on the Canadiens’ all-time list.

It was also his seventh career goal against his hometown team in 22 games.

Guhle doubled the Canadiens’ lead at 5:52 of the third period with a wrist shot into the top corner, short-side, that Pickard would likely want back.

Caufield’s persistence, winning a puck battle against Leon Draisaitl, played a key role in setting up Guhle’s goal.

About five minutes later, Montembeault made a sharp right-pad save on a backhand attempt by Jeff Skinner.

The Canadiens followed with a dominant shift in the Oilers’ zone, forcing Brett Kulak to take a hooking penalty on Juraj Slafkovsky.

Desperate to get back into the game, the Oilers pulled Pickard for an extra skater with 4:52 remaining. That decision allowed Evans to put the game out of reach.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 18, 2024.