Penguins 3, Canadiens 1
Marc-Andre Fleury turned aside 27 shots and James Neal scored his seventh goal to carry the host Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-1 victory over the skidding Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.
Joe Vitale and Arron Asham each scored their first goals of the season and Deryk Engelland added two assists as the Penguins sent the Canadiens to their fourth consecutive loss.
Fleury’s bid for his 20th career shutout was denied when Brian Gionta scored with 1:36 remaining. He made 13 saves in the second period when Montreal had three consecutive power-play opportunities.
Pittsburgh, playing its ninth game in 15th nights, stymied the Canadiens with its league-best penalty-killing unit. The Penguins killed off all four power plays and have allowed only one goal in 31 chances.
Neal got Pittsburgh on the board when his wrister clanged off the post and trickled behind Canadiens netminder Carey Price at 8:55 of the first. It was Neal's sixth goal in the last six games.
Vitale redirected a shot by Engelland at 2:38 of the second and Asham swatted a rebound past Price at 5:20 of the third.
Price made 29 saves but fell short again in his fourth attempt for his 100th career win. Montreal's Hall Gill played in his 1,000th career game, becoming the 15th American-born defenseman to reach that milestone.