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Jacob Fowler's Stellar Performance Guides Canadiens to 4-0 Win
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- Jacob Fowler's Stellar Performance Guides Canadiens to 4-0 Win
Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night, the first of back-to-back games between the clubs set to take place on the weekend.
Rookie netminder Jacob Fowler stole the show, stopping all 30 shots sent his way and securing a 4-0 shutout win for the Habs in the process.
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Let's dive into the highlights!
Power In The Play
The Canadiens continue to find ways to score on the man advantage, with Juraj Slafkovsky leading the charge now that he's been placed in the slot, the only appropriate powerplay assignment for a gigantic Slovak with a wingspan that would put a great albatross to shame.
Slafkovsky scored his 10th goal of the year to give the Habs a 1-0 lead, not to mention his seventh on the powerplay, which leads all Canadiens players in that very important category.
Rookie Impact
Rookie Owen Beck finally scored his first career goal to extend the lead to 2-0, which surely removed much of the pressure he's been feeling in recent games.
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It's not that Beck hasn't tried his best to score, but rather, the universe has conspired to rob him of his first two goals in the NHL, and finally, the third time was the charm.
It was a great goal scored off the rush, an area of weakness for the Canadiens.
All things considered, it was one of Beck's best games of the year, and not just because he scored. He looked much more comfortable playing as a centre, his natural position.
In This Economy?
Believe it or not, the Canadiens would go on to make it 3-0 when Josh Anderson scored a shorthanded goal. A shorthanded goal is always encouraging, but in this case, it also took place on the breakaway, yet another area of weakness for the Habs.
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Last I checked, the Habs have scored on roughly zero percent of their last 20 breakaway opportunities, give or take.
Anderson's goal, his seventh of the season, means that he's almost halfway to matching his goal production from last season, albeit in fewer games, which is always great to see for a player who has had to reinvent himself in his veteran seasons.
Anderson would go on to add to his goal tally by scoring an empty-net goal in the dying minutes of the third period.
Cool Like A Chicoutimi Cucumber
Fowler wasn't particularly busy in his fourth career start in the NHL, but he did face a lot of high-danger chances.
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The Penguins only managed 14 shots at 5v5 through 40 minutes, but that included 10 high-quality scoring chances, all of which were calmly stopped by the rookie.
Even when the Penguins took over the momentum in the third period, Fowler was up to the task, including a penalty kill that featured seven saves.
Seven saves.
In one penalty kill.
Let that sink in a moment, while remembering how few saves the Canadiens usually get in that situation.
The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Sunday, facing the Penguins in Pittsburgh, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick .
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