National Hockey League
Montreal 5, Detroit 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 21, 2024
Where: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec
Referees: Morgan MacPhee, Francois St. Laurent
Linesmen: Julien Fournier, Jonny Murray
Attendance: 21105

Patrik Laine scored his eighth power-play goal of the season and Nick Suzuki topped the 200 career assist mark with a pair of them Saturday night when the host Montreal Canadiens swept a back-to-back against the Detroit Red Wings with their 5-1 victory.

Each of Laine's goals in nine games since making his long-awaited Montreal debut Dec. 3 have come on the power play. After scoring the tiebreaker in the third period of Friday's 4-3 win at Detroit, Laine capped the scoring from a three-goal first Saturday for the Canadiens, who are amid a season-high three-game winning streak.

Montreal's Jake Evans and Emil Heineman also scored for a second straight night, while Juraj Slafkovsky and Brendan Gallagher each had a goal. Suzuki, meanwhile, notched career assists 200 and 201 in the first and Sam Montembeault made 20 saves in his ninth straight start for the Canadiens.

Joe Veleno also scored in a second straight game for Detroit, which got 19 saves on 24 shots faced from Alex Lyon. The Red Wings have allowed 41 goals during their current 3-6-2 stretch.

Moments after Detroit's Dylan Larkin missed an empty cage on the power play, Montreal native Veleno opened the scoring 6:41 into the first after waiting on the doorstep of the Canadiens' net to push in Jonatan Berggren's pass.

However, Montreal eventually answered with two goals over a 1:12 span of the opening frame.

First, Slafkovsky redirected Suzuki's shot into the Red Wings' net with 5:46 left before the first intermission. Shortly after, Evans weaved into the slot, then snapped the puck past Lyon.

With 39 seconds left in the first, Laine extended his power-play goal total on what appeared to be a pass for Slafkovsky to tip in, but instead redirected in off the stick of Detroit's Ben Chiarot. Laine, who missed the first 24 games with a knee injury, has five goals in three games.

Montreal made it 4-1 at 2:40 into the second. Off a Detroit turnover, Christian Dvorak dropped a back-handed pass for Heineman to convert. Gallagher then snapped a 13-game goal drought with 6:57 left in the second.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Detroit   Montreal
Joe Veleno 1 Points Lane Hutson 2
Joe Veleno 1 Goals Jake Evans 1
Jonatan Berggren 1 Assists Lane Hutson 2
N/A Power Play Goals Patrik Laine 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Alex Lyon .792 Save Percentage Sam Montembeault .952
Alex Lyon 19 Saves Sam Montembeault 20
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Detroit 21 1 0-4 4-5 10 21
Montreal 24 5 1-5 4-4 8 28
Upcoming Games
  • Montreal will play their next game on the road against Columbus. The Canadiens have a W/L % of .385 after a win and .450 after a loss.
  • Detroit will play their next game at home against St. Louis. The Red Wings have a W/L % of .385 after a win and .400 after a loss.