National Hockey League
Montreal 3, Edmonton 1
When: 9:00 PM ET, Monday, January 18, 2021
Where: Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta
Referees: Chris Schlenker, Graham Skilliter
Linesmen: David Brisebois, Bevan Mills
Attendance: N/A

Alexander Romanov scored his first NHL goal while Shea Weber and Artturi Lehkonen each scored once to lead the Montreal Canadiens to a 3-1 victory over the host Edmonton Oilers on Monday.

Devin Shore had the lone Edmonton goal, scoring on a short-handed breakaway late in the game to spoil Jake Allen's shutout bid in the Montreal net. Allen made 25 saves while Oilers goalie Mikko Koskinen stopped 31 shots.

The victory gave the Canadiens a sweep of their two-game set against the Oilers, as Montreal won 5-1 on Saturday.

Romanov, a 21-year-old rookie defenseman, put the Canadiens up 1-0 at the 9:54 mark of the first period, firing a shot from the point that zipped right past Koskinen.

The Canadiens held onto that lead despite taking three consecutive penalties in the back half of the period. First, Phillip Danault took an interference call, then Joel Armia got tagged for holding against Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Next, Ben Chiarot lifted the puck over the glass on a clearing attempt and was sent to the penalty box for delay of game.

The Oilers banged away at the puck but couldn't solve Koskinen, despite 32 seconds of five-on-three power plays.

The Oilers earned another power play early in the second but they couldn't muster a single shot on net.

Weber padded the Canadiens' lead to 2-0 with 11 seconds left in the second period, but the goal was initially waved off. Just before Weber picked up his own rebound, skated behind the net and banked the puck off Koskinen's back, Shore crashed into his own goaltender.

Referees called off the goal, saying Canadiens defender Jeff Petry caused the collision that ultimately inhibited Koskinen from making the save on Weber. Canadiens head coach Claude Julien challenged the call, and upon video review, officials reversed their ruling and allowed the goal to stand.

The Oilers had a big chance late in the third with their seventh power play, courtesy of a tripping call against Nick Suzuki. The Canadiens got the jump instead, with Lehkonen picking up a loose puck and turning it into a two-on-one. He took the shot himself and put the Canadiens up 3-0.

Shore finally scored for the Oilers with the Canadiens on the man advantage. He broke away from the pack to face Allen alone at the 17:51 mark and ripped the puck into the net.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Montreal   Edmonton
Artturi Lehkonen 1 Points Devin Shore 1
Artturi Lehkonen 1 Goals Devin Shore 1
Paul Byron 1 Assists Devin Shore 0
Shea Weber 1 Power Play Goals N/A
Artturi Lehkonen 1 Short Handed Goals Devin Shore 1
Jake Allen .962 Save Percentage Mikko Koskinen .912
Jake Allen 25 Saves Mikko Koskinen 31
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Montreal 34 3 1-5 7-7 14 24
Edmonton 26 1 0-7 4-5 10 30
Upcoming Games
  • Edmonton will play their next game on the road against Toronto. The Oilers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Montreal will play their next game on the road against Vancouver. The Canadiens have a W/L % of 1.000 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.