In Montreal, the Canadiens surprised the Edmonton Oilers in a Sunday matinee with a 6-2 win.
The Canadiens took a 1-0 lead in the first on a goal from Alex Belzile, his first career NHL
“If we would have lost, the moment would be bittersweet,” Belzile said. “But we faced a really good challenge tonight, and even yesterday with the comeback, that shows character. In the NHL, if you play as a unit of 18 plus the goalie, there is no easy game, and teams win over sometimes an individual, so we had a really good game.”
Jake Allen made 29 saves in the Habs win.
The Canadiens moved to 22-27-4.
Jordan Harris and Josh Anderson scored to push the lead to 3-0 in the middle frame before the Oilers manged to get on the board.
Harris had a pair of goals in the win.
Leon Draisaitl and Evander Kane tried to rally the Oilers with a pair of goals to trim the lead to 3-2 in the second.
“We don’t have any excuses, we’ve just got to be ready,” Oilers defenseman Vincent Desharnais said. “They were ready. They were in our faces, they blocked shots, we didn’t. They just played better. ”
Edmonton dropped to 30-19-5.
“I thought both teams got what they deserved tonight,” Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said. “Montreal played a very good game, credit to them. And I didn’t think we were very sharp at all, so we got what we deserved.”
Montreal responded to the push from the Oilers with a goal from Rafael Harvey-Pinard for a 4-2 lead coming out of the second period.
In the third, Harris scored his second of the game for a 5-2 advantage, and Christian Dvorak hit for a shorthanded goal for the 6-2 final.
“If we would have lost, the moment would be bittersweet,” Belzile said. “But we faced a really good challenge tonight, and even yesterday with the comeback, that shows character. In the NHL, if you play as a unit of 18 plus the goalie, there is no easy game, and teams win over sometimes an individual, so we had a really good game.”
Connor McDavid’s 15-game point streak ended in the loss.
“Obviously, he’s dangerous every single time he touches the puck,” Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki said. “And just the way he’s been playing as of late, he’s been really impressive with the point totals that he’s been putting up, so to have a good game against him is a boost to the whole team.”
Stuart Skinner made 24 saves in the Oilers loss.
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