By Canadian Press

Duhaime lifts Wild to 3-1 road win over Canadiens

Oct 25, 2022 | 7:50 PM

MONTREAL — Brandon Duhaime scored the game winner and added one assist as the Minnesota Wild defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 on Tuesday night.

Joel Eriksson Ek scored Minnesota’s first goal of the night and added the empty netter. The Wild (2-3-1) have recorded five points out of a possible six in their last three NHL games.

Marc Andre Fleury returned to his home province and denied a third-period penalty shot to secure the win. The Sorel-Tracy, Que., native made 26 saves and allowed one goal.

Cole Caufield was Montreal’s lone goal scorer, with his fifth marker of the season. Jake Allen made 28 saves and allowed two goals.

The Wild opened the scoring on the run. Duhaime drove the puck in the offensive zone and left the puck for Eriksson Ek. His shot went wide but bounced off the boards and into the crease for Eriksson Ek to tap in.

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Caufield equalized for the Canadiens (3-4-0) early in the second period. The winger distanced himself from his checker with a swift cutback inside the right faceoff circle and surprised Fleury with a wrist shot.

The Wild regained the lead thanks to a turnover in the neutral zone. Frederick Gaudreau intercepted Johnathan Kovacevic’s pass in the centre circle, entered the offensive zone and connected with Duhaime for the one-timer.

Mike Hoffman was awarded a penalty shot with 14:10 remaining in the third period after getting held on a breakaway by former Hab Jon Merrill. The 32 year-old made his way down the ice and lined up a shot but was easily denied by Fleury with a pad save.

Head coach Martin St. Louis pulled Allen with just over one minute remaining but Eriksson Ek added his second goal of the game with the empty netter.

NOTE

Kaiden Guhle received a shot on the ear late in the third period. The rookie blue liner retreated to the locker room holding a towel to his ear.

FLEURY’S 25TH

Fleury returned to the Bell Centre representing a third team in two years. After experiencing heartbreak with the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, Fleury returned as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 9.

For a rare moment, the Bell Centre crowd gave a visiting player a standing ovation when Fleury picked up his 500th win in a 2-0 shutout. He picked up his 25th career win against the Canadiens.

NEXT UP

The Canadiens embark on a four-game road trip starting with a visit to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. The Wild will continue on their four-game road trip with a game Thursday in Ottawa against the Senators.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25, 2022.

Tristan D’Amours, The Canadian Press