MONTREAL (AP) - Getting a goal against his former team was sweet for Logan Shaw.
The right winger started a three-goal first period that led the Montreal Canadiens to a 5-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday. Montreal claimed Shaw on waivers from Anaheim on Jan. 15.
“That one felt pretty good,” Shaw said. “I have a lot of good friends over there.
“It was a big win for the team. It felt pretty good to come out on top. It was obviously a bonus to get a goal. I don’t get a lot of them so when I do they feel pretty good and that felt extra special.”
It was Shaw’s third of the season but his first as a Canadien. He has only 11 goals in 156 NHL games.
He was the only forward to score for Montreal. Jeff Petry had two goals and David Schlemko and Joe Morrow added the others.
The Canadiens ended a three-game losing streak.
It was also a special game for Antti Niemi, who got the start in goal ahead of Carey Price with Montreal playing afternoon games on consecutive days. The Ducks had a 45-29 edge in shots, but Niemi was solid. He also won his last start, on Jan. 19 in Washington.
“Easily one of the best for a long time,” Niemi said of his performance. “Playing with the lead, it was a lot of fun to play.”
The Canadiens had scored only one goal in their previous two games, but their power play came to life against the Ducks, producing three goals on seven chances. It was the reverse of Oct. 20, when the Canadiens had 51 shots in Anaheim but lost 6-2.
Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf wasn’t happy with the officiating from Dave Jackson and Steve Kozeri.
“They started calling penalties, that’s the momentum change of the game,” Getzlaf said. “Our kill didn’t get it done and their power play did.
“It’s frustrating. I still, in this league, don’t have a clue what’s a penalty and what isn’t. It’s frustrating when you get one guy calling every single penalty against us and one guy wanting the game to play and wanting the players to decide it. It’s a frustrating point that we’re at in this league when we can’t just go out and play hockey. There’s no dangerous plays out there by any means, but somehow there were nine or 10 penalties or how many there were (11).
“I’m frustrated with all these little stick things and stuff. Instead of worrying about a guy getting his head taken off in the corner, we’re worried about little stick infractions and one-handed stick lifts.”
Corey Perry and Rikard Rakell scored for Anaheim, which was coming off an overtime loss in Ottawa on Thursday night.
The Ducks led 9-0 in shots just under six minutes into the game, but the Canadiens then scored three times on seven attempts to chase starter Ryan Miller at 10:13 in favor of Reto Berra, who was called up on Friday to replace the injured John Gibson.
Shaw scored at 6:16 when he banged in a Byron Froese pass from the edge of the crease. Two minutes later, Morrow added one on a power play off Victor Mete’s pass from the right point.
Alex Galchenyuk slid a pass to Schlemko to score from the slot, and that was it for Miller.
Berra lunged for but couldn’t reach Petry’s slow-moving shot 3:45 into the second frame.
Perry put Anaheim on the board during a two-man advantage at 8:32 as he beat Niemi from the edge of the crease and Rakell followed in to score on Nick Ritchie’s rebound with 7:45 remaining.
Petry picked the top corner on a power play with 4:14 left in third.
NOTES: Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin left the game early in the second period after being hit in the upper body by a slap shot from teammate Karl Alzner. Coach Claude Julien said X-rays revealed no fracture, and Drouin’s condition was to be re-evaluated on Sunday. … Jacques Demers, who coached Montreal to its last Stanley Cup in 1993, got a big ovation when he was shown on the scoreboard. Demers made a rare visit since a 2016 stroke left him with limited mobility.
UP NEXT
Canadiens: Host Ottawa on Sunday.
Ducks: Play at Toronto on Monday night.
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