The Montreal Canadiens will look to brush the season sequence towards the Penguins on Sunday when the groups full a home-and-home set in Pittsburgh.
Josh Anderson scored two targets and Jacob Fowler made 31 saves for his first profession shutout because the Canadiens blanked the Penguins 4-0 on Saturday night time in Montreal.
Owen Beck added his first profession objective and Juraj Slafkovsky additionally scored for the Canadiens, who’re 4-1-1 of their previous six video games.
Fowler, Montreal’s third-round choice on the 2023 NHL Draft, is 2-1-1 in 4 begins this season.
“It is cool, it is one other puck to offer to my dad and let him put within the trophy case,” Fowler mentioned of the shutout. “I used to be simply grateful for the trouble in entrance of me. They made my job fairly straightforward tonight to see pucks and be below management, and I believe we have been good the previous few video games, and I simply have to make a pair extra saves like tonight.”
Saturday was the Florida native’s second win of the season towards the Penguins. He made 36 saves in his NHL debut, a 4-2 victory over Pittsburgh on Dec. 11.
At 21 years and 26 days, Fowler is the youngest Canadiens goaltender to report a shutout since Carey Value (20 years, 229 days).
“The way in which he carries himself, it looks like he is been prepared for it for a very long time,” Montreal coach Martin St. Louis mentioned.
Jakub Dobes, Sunday’s doubtless starter, is 12-5-2 with a 2.91 goals-against common and an .893 save proportion in 19 video games this season.
Stuart Skinner made 17 saves in his second begin for Pittsburgh since being acquired from Edmonton on Dec. 12. The Penguins have dropped three straight in regulation and are winless in eight total (0-4-4).
“The fellows performed actually exhausting in entrance of me, loads of large blocked pictures tonight,” Skinner mentioned. “And also you noticed because the second interval and third interval went on, we have been taking on the sport. I actually like how we responded, particularly being down going into the third. How the blokes got here out was spectacular.”
Famous person captain Sidney Crosby enters Sunday’s recreation one level shy of tying Corridor of Famer Mario Lemieux (1,723) for the Penguins’ all-time scoring report.
Crosby briefly left Saturday’s recreation for repairs after being struck with a excessive stick from teammate Brett Kulak within the second interval.
Saturday marked the second straight 4-0 loss for the Penguins. Pittsburgh was blanked by the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.
“It isn’t straightforward on anyone,” Penguins coach Dan Muse mentioned. “However we bought to show the web page. I do know I all the time say the identical factor, however that is the truth of it. If we begin feeling unhealthy for ourselves, we put our heads down, like, we bought one other hockey recreation right here (Sunday) night time.”
Goaltender Arturs Silovs, who is predicted to start out Sunday, is 4-5-6 in 15 begins with a 3.26 GAA and an .890 save proportion this season.
–Subject Stage Media
