Canadiens 5, Jets 1
Tomas Plekanec scored once and added two assists as the Montreal Canadiens defeated Winnipeg 5-1 Sunday, spoiling the Jets' first home game in more than 15 years.
The sellout crowd at the MTS Centre was vocal all night long, but couldn't will its team to victory as Montreal dominated play for most of the game.
After falling behind 2-0 through two periods, the Jets finally hit the scoresheet early in the third period on a historic - and far-from-glamorous - goal by Nik Antropov. On a delayed penalty call, the towering forward slid home a loose puck sitting in the crease with netminder Carey Price down and out.
Yannick Weber restored Montreal's two-goal lead shortly after Winnipeg defenseman Dustin Byfuglien was given an interverence penalty. The second-year forward slapped a shot into the top-right corner from the faceoff circle and past a helpless Ondrej Pavelec.
Max Pacioretty and Travis Moen added third-period goals for Montreal while Price turned aside 29 shots while being heckled by Winnipeg faithful throughout the night.
With the crowd still buzzing well after the opening faceoff, Mike Cammalleri quieted things down with a laser wrist shot that beat Pavelec following a giveaway inside the Winnipeg zone.
Plekanec made it 2-0 late in the second period, niftily deking Jets defender Johnny Oduya before lifting a shot past Pavelec's glove hand.
The win came at a steep cost for the Canadiens, who lost defenseman Jaroslav Spacek to an upper-body injury early in the first period.
Cammalleri went off shortly after when he was cut above the left knee by a skate. He did not return.