DETROIT — In an exciting matchup on Friday night, Patrik Laine netted a power-play goal with 7:58 left on the clock, propelling the Montreal Canadiens to a narrow 4-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.
Laine’s shot from the left flank broke defenseman Moritz Seider’s stick and managed to slip past goaltender Cam Talbot’s glove hand.
Jake Evans celebrated his 300th career game by scoring a short-handed goal and contributing an assist. Emil Heineman also shined with a goal and an assist, while Arber Xhekaj tallied his first goal of the season.
Sam Montembeault was solid in net, making 25 saves to secure the win.
On the other side, Detroit saw scoring efforts from Patrick Kane, Joe Veleno, and Tyler Motte, with Michael Rasmussen contributing two assists.
Talbot faced 33 shots, stopping 29 in the contest.
The two teams will clash again on Saturday, this time in Montreal.
Key takeaways include Laine’s impressive performance, as he recorded three power-play goals earlier in the week against Buffalo and continued his streak. Notably, all seven of his goals this season have come during power plays.
For the Red Wings, Kane appears to be finding his rhythm after breaking a 10-game goal drought against Philadelphia. He now has five goals in 27 outings this season, showcasing his capabilities as an eight-time All-Star.
A notable moment from the game occurred just prior to Evans’ short-handed goal in the first period when Montembeault made an unusual save.
Detroit’s Lucas Raymond tried to chop the puck from behind the Canadiens’ net, only for it to roll up and rest on Montembeault’s neck.
Defenseman Kaiden Guhle swiftly covered it with his glove, prompting the whistle.
An interesting statistic is that Veleno has now scored in back-to-back games after a long stretch of just one goal in his first 26 matches this season.
Having signed a two-year contract extension in July, Veleno had 12 goals last season and is looking to build on that success.
Looking ahead, the Canadiens and Red Wings will wrap up their two-game series in Montreal on Saturday.