Suzuki, Slafkowski lead Canadiens to 5-0 win over Ducks

Lucas Dostal stopped 33 shots for Anaheim (18-32-2), which was shutout for the sixth time this season.

After Montreal dominated shots 12-6 in a scoreless first period, the home team turned it up a notch in the second period.

Evans went for a third-and-1 of the season, 25, on a deadlock with 1:43 left in the period, beating Dostal after a pass-and-go with Tanner Pearson.

Suzuki doubled the lead at 9:37 to extend the streak. Slafkovsky patiently dodged past Ducks defenseman Pavel Mintyukov before taking a clean pass from Suzuki on the break.

The two forwards later connected again late in the period, this time on the power play, with Suzuki hitting a cross-ice puck into an open net from Suzuki to make it 3-0 with three minutes left in the period.

In complete control, the Canadians led the shots 29-9 after 40 minutes.

Montreal added another power play marker at 7:26 of the third. This time, Suzuki fed Slafkowski in his 11th campaign.

Gignac, 26, scored his first goal on a 2-0-0 to make it 5-0 with less than three minutes remaining as Montreal won the game easily, but there was no anger when players from both teams dropped their gloves in the final minutes. .

FLOWER LEFT INJURY

The Canadiens avoided bad injury news as defenseman Kayden Goulet dressed Tuesday night and sat out Sunday's loss to the St. Louis Blues with less than two minutes remaining after a Marco Scandella hit.

Goulet has four goals and five assists in 49 games this season. In his second NHL season, the 22-year-old averaged 20:58 of ice time – second among Montreal blueliners.

Defenseman Arber Hekay is back in the Canadiens lineup for Jordan Harris, who is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury against the Blues.

NEXT UP

Canadiens: Visit the New York Rangers on Thursday.

Ducks: Continue a three-game sweep of Canada East on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on February 13, 2023.

Daniel Rainbird, Canadian Press