Overview
- Pittsburgh dropped its eighth straight game and was shut out for a second consecutive outing, with Stuart Skinner stopping 17 shots in his second start since the trade.
- Josh Anderson scored twice, including a shorthanded goal and an empty-netter, while Owen Beck netted his first NHL goal and Juraj Slafkovsky struck on the power play.
- Lane Hutson reached 100 career points, becoming the fastest Canadiens defenseman to hit the mark, and his assist helped spring Beck's milestone tally.
- Rookie Jacob Fowler, recalled earlier this month, delivered his first NHL shutout in his fourth start as Bell Centre fans chanted his name postgame.
- Montreal improved to 19-12-4 and Pittsburgh fell to 14-11-9, with the clubs set to complete the home-and-home Sunday in Pittsburgh as Sidney Crosby remains one point shy of Mario Lemieux's franchise record.