Joel Eriksson Ek had two power-play goals and added an assist to help the Minnesota Wild beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 on Tuesday night
ByThe Associated Press
October 17, 2023, 9:49 PM
Montreal Canadiens’ Tanner Pearson (70) scores on Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023 in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Associated Press
MONTREAL — Joel Eriksson Ek had two power-play goals and added an assist to help the Minnesota Wild beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 on Tuesday night.
Kirill Kaprizov added a goal and assisted on both of Eriksson Ek’s goals, while Brandon Duhaime and Connor Dewar staked the Wild to a 2-0 lead with short-handed goals 25 seconds apart in the first period.
Marc-Andre Fleury made 27 saves for the victory in his hometown in his first start of the season. Mats Zuccarello had three assists.
Tanner Pearson and Alex Newhook scored for Montreal, and Sam Montembeault made 30 saves.
After Pearson cut it to 3-1 midway through the second period, Kaprizov restored the three-goal lead with 2:38 left in the period. Eriksson Ek made it 5-1 at 5:20 of the third with his second goal of the night.
The Wild went 3 for 8 on the power play, while the Canadiens were 0 for 4.
The matchup between Fleury and Montembeault marked the first time two Quebec-born goalies faced off in Montreal since Jan. 3, 2006.
UP NEXT
Wild: Host Los Angeles on Thursday night.
Canadiens: Host Washington on Saturday night.
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