Canadiens 3, Penguins 2
PITTSBURGH -- Tomas Fleischmann scored early in the third period after Montreal twice couldn't hold leads created by Max Pacioretty goals, and the Canadiens finished off a sweep of a season-opening four-game road trip by beating the winless Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 Tuesday night.
Montreal, which won only twice in its previous seven games in Pittsburgh, hopes its early success under former Penguins coach Michel Therrien is an omen. The last time the Canadiens started 4-0, in 1977-78, they won the Stanley Cup.
With star centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin again failing to score, the Penguins twice tied it after Montreal took the lead but lost for the 18th time in 23 games dating to last season, including the playoffs.
The Penguins, outscored 8-3 so far while going 0-3-0, are off to their worst start since they were 0-4-4 in 2005-06, Crosby's rookie season.
Fleischmann, a left winger and longtime Penguins antagonist, went to the net after center David Desharnais took the puck away while hauling down Pittsburgh left winger Sergei Plotnikov -- there was no penalty -- and skated up ice. Fleischmann then beat goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury inside the near post with a wrister from the left circle, his 12th goal in 27 games against Pittsburgh.
Fleury (27 saves) turned away excellent scoring chances by right wingers Devante Smith-Pelly and Dale Weise early in the period, both from only several feet away off turnovers, as the Canadiens pushed the pace early in the third with their trademark transition game.
Canadiens goalie Carey Price, who came in 2-4-2 in his previous eight against Pittsburgh, made 31 saves in his third win of the season. He wasn't pressured during a Penguins power play just over two minutes following Fleischmann's goal.
Pacioretty scored twice for the second successive game, both times without a defender nearby, but Pittsburgh -- held to a single goal while losing their first two -- answered each time.
Pacioretty opened the scoring in the Penguins' home opener after right winger Brendan Gallagher skated hard into the left circle, whirled and threw the puck to his left winger, who one-timed it between Fleury's pads from above the circles at 5:46 of the first.
Crosby finally took his first shot nearly 136 minutes into the Penguins' season, a wrister from the right circle that goaltender Carey Price smothered. But third-line Penguins right winger Beau Bennett calmed what was becoming a restless Consol Energy Center crowd by scoring unassisted 5:31 into the second.
Bennett grabbed a loose puck in the Penguins' end, skated up ice into the right circle and snapped off a shot from the faceoff dot over Price's left shoulder.
Pacioretty scored his fourth of the season slightly less than three minutes later on a power play with a 35-foot wrister inside the near post as Gallagher screened in front. But Penguins defenseman Kris Letang tied it at 2 by knuckling a shot past Price, with winger Phil Kessel and center Evgeni Malkin assisting at 10:09 of the second.
It was Letang's first goal since March 19. He missed the final month of the 2014-15 regular season and the playoffs with a concussion.
NOTES: The Penguins began a five-game homestand. ... Pittsburgh made one line change, moving LW David Perron to C Evgeni Malkin's No. 2 line and shifting LW Sergei Plotnikov to the third line centered by Nick Bonino. The move was first made late in the Penguins' 2-1 loss Saturday to the Arizona Coyotes. ... Pittsburgh scratched D Adam Clendening, D Tim Erixon and RW Bobby Farnham. ... The Penguins were held without a power-play goal in their first two games for only the fourth time since the 1987-88 season. ... The Canadiens finally play their home opener Thursday night against the New York Rangers. ... Not surprisingly, Canadiens coach Michel Therrien didn't make any pre-game lineup adjustments. Not dressed were D Greg Pateryn, D Jarred Tinordi and LW Paul Byron. ... Carey Price was back in goal after G Mike Condon made his NHL debut, making 20 saves while defeating the Ottawa Senators 3-1 on Sunday.