Brendan Gallagher scored twice in Montreal's four-goal second period and the Canadiens beat the Winnipeg Jets 7-1 Saturday night.
Josh Anderson, Tyler Toffoli, Joel Armia, Paul Byron and Jeff Petry also scored for Montreal. Tomas Tatar had three assists and Carey Price stopped 28 shots.
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Brendan Gallagher scored twice in Montreal's four-goal second period and the Canadiens beat the Winnipeg Jets 7-1 Saturday night.
Mathieu Perrault spoiled Price's shutout bid with a power-play goal with 8:46 to go for Winnipeg, which had won six of its previous seven. Connor Hellebuyck gave up four goals on 19 shots before he was pulled in the second period. Laurent Brossoit stopped six of the nine shots he faced.
Failure to clear the puck cost Winnipeg again less than four minutes later with Gallagher knocking Phillip Danault’s no-look cross-ice pass into a gaping net.
Byron made it 6-0 at 4:20 of the third, backhanding a rebound home after Brossoit failed to handle a long-distance shot from Jake Evans. Seconds earlier Jets forward Trevor Lewis was hit on the hand by a Nate Thompson shot.
ANDERSON RETURNS
“You kind of get sick and tired of battling the same guys,” Montreal defenseman Brett Kulak said before the game. “We’ve played this team a lot right now. So yeah, there’s a little bit of hatred for each other there, but I think it’s good. And it brings the competitive level of the game up a little more."
The Canadiens were coming off a 4-3 overtime loss at Winnipeg on Thursday night and had had lost six of their last seven overall (1-2-4).
Montreal Canadiens' Tyler Toffoli (73) celebrates with Josh Anderson after scoring against the Winnipeg Jets during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 6, 2021, in Montreal. (Graham HughesThe Canadian Press vIa AP)
Mathieu Perrault spoiled Price's shutout bid with a power-play goal with 8:46 to go for Winnipeg, which had won six of its previous seven. Connor Hellebuyck gave up four goals on 19 shots before he was pulled in the second period. Laurent Brossoit stopped six of the nine shots he faced.
Leading 1-0 after 20 minutes, the Canadiens broke the game open in the second period with four goals in a 9:02 span.
After Kotkaniemi won a faceoff in the Winnipeg end, Jets defenseman Tucker Poolman had a chance to clear but only sent the puck to the blue line. Shea Weber poked it back towards the slot where Toffoli’s high wrist shot beat Hellebuyck for his 15th of the season at 7:03.
Montreal Canadiens' Brendan Gallagher (11) celebrates with Phillip Danault (24) and Tomas Tatar (90) after scoring against the Winnipeg Jets during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 6, 2021, in Montreal. (Graham HughesThe Canadian Press vIa AP)
Failure to clear the puck cost Winnipeg again less than four minutes later with Gallagher knocking Phillip Danault’s no-look cross-ice pass into a gaping net.
Gallagher, left alone on Hellebuyck’s doorstep, then made it 4-0 with 5:35 left in the middle period with his 10th of the season after the Canadiens hemmed the Jets in their own zone.
Brossoit took over in the Winnipeg goal and was promptly beaten by Armia’s low wrist shot with 3:55 remaining after a Montreal rush up the ice that drew hardly a challenge.
Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price makes a save as Winnipeg Jets' Paul Stastny moves in for the rebound during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 6, 2021, in Montreal. (Graham HughesThe Canadian Press vIa AP)
Byron made it 6-0 at 4:20 of the third, backhanding a rebound home after Brossoit failed to handle a long-distance shot from Jake Evans. Seconds earlier Jets forward Trevor Lewis was hit on the hand by a Nate Thompson shot.
Petry added to the Jets’ pain at 8:20 with a wrist shot through traffic from the blue line.
The Canadiens got on the scoreboard in the first period as Anderson took advantage of a fortuitous bounce after Jesperi Kotkaniemi, fighting for the puck in the Winnipeg end, fired the puck into the corner. Hellebuyck went behind the goal to corral the puck but it hit the board and bounced back in front, where Anderson knocked it into the open net with 4:31 let for his 10th.
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Laurent Brossoit looks on as Jets' Neal Pionk (4) upends Montreal Canadiens' Corey Perry (94) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 6, 2021, in Montreal. (Graham HughesThe Canadian Press vIa AP)
ANDERSON RETURNS
Anderson returned to the Canadiens' lineup after a three-game absence due to a lower-body injury. He started on a line with Toffoli and Kotkaniemi.
SEEING FAMILIAR FACES
Saturday’s game was the fifth under interim Canadiens coach Dominique Ducharme, who is now 2-1-2. Four of the games were against Winnipeg.
Winnipeg Jets' Mathieu Perreault (85) scores against Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price as Canadiens' Joel Edmundson defends during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 6, 2021, in Montreal. (Graham HughesThe Canadian Press vIa AP)
“You kind of get sick and tired of battling the same guys,” Montreal defenseman Brett Kulak said before the game. “We’ve played this team a lot right now. So yeah, there’s a little bit of hatred for each other there, but I think it’s good. And it brings the competitive level of the game up a little more."
UP NEXT
Jets: At Toronto on Tuesday night to open a three-game series against the Maple Leafs.
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Laurent Brossoit reacts after giving up a goal to Montreal Canadiens' Jeff Petry during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 6, 2021, in Montreal. (Graham HughesThe Canadian Press vIa AP)
Canadiens: At Vancouver on Monday night to open a two-game series and six-game trip.
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