National Hockey League
Montreal 4, Winnipeg 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, October 28, 2023
Where: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec
Referees: Chris Schlenker, Kelly Sutherland
Linesmen: Steve Barton, Kyle Flemington
Attendance: 21105

Joel Armia scored the tying goal early in the third period and Jake Allen stopped 42 shots, plus all three in the shootout, as the Montreal Canadiens overcame another two-goal deficit to beat the visiting Winnipeg Jets 4-3 on Saturday night.

With Montreal trailing 3-2, the veteran Armia, in his season debut after opening the campaign in the AHL, found himself amid a two-on-one with teammate Kaiden Guhle, and beat Jets goaltender Laurent Brossoit (26 saves) just 1:54 into the third.

Thanks to some solid work from Allen, the game eventually went to a shootout, where Nick Suzuki scored the lone goal. The Canadiens have won two straight games and four of five.

Montreal overcame a pair of two-goal deficits during Thursday's 4-3 overtime victory against visiting Columbus.

Adam Lowry scored twice and Nino Niederreiter had a goal and an assist for the Jets, who had won three straight.

Winnipeg earned a major break within the first six minutes Saturday.

As Lowry streaked in with the puck, he was hooked by Montreal's Alex Newhook. A penalty shot was awarded, and Lowry converted for his first goal of the season at 4:28 of the contest.

However, Montreal tied it less than a minute later. On the rush, Rafael Harvey-Pinard found a streaking Justin Barron, who went five-hole on Brossoit for his third goal.

However, the Jets quickly went back ahead with two goals in 18 seconds -- within the first 33 seconds of the second period.

First, Montreal failed to corral the puck behind its own net. Niederreiter grabbed it, then sent a behind-the-back pass to an unchecked Lowry, who slid it past an unsuspecting Allen just 15 seconds into the frame. Then, 18 seconds later, Niederreiter did the honors, going forehand-backhand to beat Allen.

Montreal got one of those goals back via the power play. At 8:23 of the second, Sean Monahan deked Brossoit, then sent home a backhander for his fourth goal.

Winnipeg continues to play without coach Rick Bowness, who took a leave of absence to be with his wife, Judy, who suffered a seizure recently last weekend.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Winnipeg   Montreal
Adam Lowry 2 Points Kaiden Guhle 2
Adam Lowry 2 Goals Joel Armia 1
Mason Appleton 2 Assists Kaiden Guhle 2
N/A Power Play Goals Sean Monahan 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Laurent Brossoit .897 Save Percentage Jake Allen .933
Laurent Brossoit 26 Saves Jake Allen 42
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Winnipeg 45 3 0-4 1-2 9 33
Montreal 29 4 1-2 4-4 13 22
Upcoming Games
  • Montreal will play their next game on the road against Vegas. The Canadiens have a W/L % of .400 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
  • Winnipeg will play their next game at home against NY Rangers. The Jets have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .500 after a loss.