MONTREAL (AP) - Defenseman Nathan Beaulieu believes Montreal’s victory over Vancouver on Wednesday night should act as a wake-up call.
Though flat for long stretches and outshot 42-21, the Canadiens did enough to beat the Canucks 3-0 for their eighth straight victory.
“It’s probably the worst game we’ve played this year,” said Beaulieu, who scored the winner in the second period. “We definitely got away with one. We just weren’t sharp. We were on our heels. We sat back and didn’t dictate the game. It’s a lesson tonight.
“It’s the best kind of wake-up call to get, one where you get the win. Tough game for us. Back to the drawing board.”
The NHL-best Canadiens relied heavily on goalie Carey Price to keep the winning streak alive. Price made 42 saves for his first shutout and sixth consecutive win of the season. He has 37 career shutouts.
“We’re not going to play perfectly every game, that’s just a fact,” Price said. “We definitely can’t let ourselves get content. We’re going to come out next game and try to get off to a better start.”
Torrey Mitchell and Alexander Radulov, into an empty net, also scored for Montreal. At 9-0-1, the Canadiens are the only undefeated NHL team in regulation time this season. Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher each had two assists.
Ryan Miller made 19 saves for the Canucks. They are winless in five games and 4-5-1 overall.
“The first half of the game we deserved a better fate,” Canucks coach Willie Desjardins said. “Maybe the guys were shooting a little too fine, knowing who was in net. They thought they had to be perfect on their shots. He’s a good goalie, we knew that coming in. We had a good effort today creating shots. I believe if we play like that every night, we’ll win our share of games.”
Price kept Montreal in the game to start the second period, robbing winger Sven Baertschi from close range. The visitors led 24-3 in shots before the Canadiens struck midway through the second.
Following sustained pressure by Vancouver, Beaulieu scored on a fast break for Montreal. The defenseman cashed in a rebound at 12:22 after Brendan Gallagher’s shot from a tight angle bounced off Miller and landed in the crease. The goal was Beaulieu’s first of the season and it came on Montreal’s 11th shot.
The Habs doubled their lead in the last minute of the second period on Mitchell’s team-high fifth goal of the year. Mitchell came storming down the wing on a 2 on 1 with Phillip Danault, who found his streaking teammate with a cross-crease pass. Miller, who was playing the shot, had no chance on the goal.
NOTES: The Canadiens are 7-0-1 in their last eight home games against Vancouver. … Montreal has scored first in 8 of 10 games this season. .. The Canucks are on a six-game trip. … Montreal recalled Daniel Carr and Joel Hanley from the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps.
UP NEXT:
Vancouver: At Ottawa on Thursday night.
Montreal: At Columbus on Friday night.
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