Minnesota 2, Montreal 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Where: Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Referees:
Mark Lemelin, Wes McCauley
Linesmen:
Don Henderson, Shane Heyer
Attendance:
19034
By SportsDirect Inc.
Wild 2, Canadiens 1: Darcy Kuemper made 18 saves and Jason Pominville scored the game-winning goal as host Minnesota edged Montreal.
Kuemper came within 58 seconds of his fourth shutout of the season for the Wild, who have points in three straight games (2-0-1). Jason Zucker added a first-period goal in the victory, which improved Minnesota to 1-0-1 on its four-game homestand.
Alex Galchenyuk spoiled Kuemper's shutout bid with a last-minute tally for the Canadiens, who wore No. 4 decals on their helmets in honor of late Montreal legend Jean Beliveau. Carey Price stopped 33 shots in Montreal's fourth loss in five games.
Zucker opened the scoring with a bizarre goal just 19 seconds into the game. Skating unchallenged along the end line, Zucker flipped a shot that glanced off the crossbar, caromed off Price's back and fluttered into the net for his fifth tally in seven games.
Pominville extended the lead 12:10 into the second period, redirecting defenseman Christian Folin's point shot on a play that was upheld after a lengthy video review. Galchenyuk finally put Montreal on the board with 58 seconds left in the third, blasting a point-blank shot into a partially open net after receiving a pass from David Desharnais.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Beliveau passed away Tuesday at age 83. The Hall-of-Famer won the Stanley Cup a whopping 17 times as a player and coach - the most in hockey history. ... Montreal has scored first in just nine of its 27 games this season and fell to 8-8-2 when allowing the first goal. ... Galchenyuk's tally ended a personal 10-game goalless drought.
Top Game Performances
Montreal |
|
Minnesota |
Alex Galchenyuk 1 |
Points |
Jason Pominville 1 |
Alex Galchenyuk 1 |
Goals |
Jason Pominville 1 |
David Desharnais 1 |
Assists |
Christian Folin 1 |
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Carey Price .943 |
Save Percentage |
Darcy Kuemper .947 |
Carey Price 33 |
Saves |
Darcy Kuemper 18 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Montreal
|
19 |
1 |
0-1 |
5-5 |
23 |
32 |
Minnesota
|
35 |
2 |
0-5 |
1-1 |
2 |
29 |
Upcoming Games
-
Minnesota will play their next game at home against Anaheim. The Wild have a W/L % of .571 after a win and .600 after a loss.
-
Montreal will play their next game on the road against Chicago. The Canadiens have a W/L % of .647 after a win and .600 after a loss.