MONTREAL — Mikhail Sergachev scored the overtime winner as the Utah Hockey Club defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Tuesday at the Bell Centre.
Sergachev tapped in a pass from Nick Schmaltz with 27 left in the extra period to end the game. Jack McBain and Dylan Guenther also scored for Utah (9-10-3). Karel Vejmelka made 11 saves.
Alex Newhook and Jayden Struble scored for Montreal (7-11-3), which lost its second in a row after a dismal 6-2 defeat to Vegas on Saturday.
Sam Montembeault stopped 26 shots.
Montreal and Utah, which relocated from Arizona over the off-season, met for the first time in NHL play.
Guenther fired a cross-ice pass from Clayton Keller into the top corner to open the scoring at 6:23 of the second period. His 10th of the season came just after Utah’s fourth power play of the night expired.
Struble, who drew into the lineup late after Mike Matheson was a late scratch, answered at 8:05 to tie the game. Fans had enough time to yell “shoooot!” before the defenceman ripped a shot off the crossbar and in.
Newhook pounced on a rebound for his fifth of the season, giving Montreal a 2-1 lead 46 seconds into the third.
Utah equalized at 4:17 as McBain buried a pass from Logan Cooley for his eighth.
Takeaways
Canadiens: The Canadiens spent a lot of time down a man in the first 30 minutes, killing four penalties. Matheson, who leads Montreal in ice-time this season, was a late scratch due to a lower-body injury.
Utah: Rookie Maveric Lamoureux played his 15th NHL game and his first in front of friends and family at the Bell Centre. The 20-year-old from Laval, Que., was swarmed by reporters after morning skate.
Key moment
McBain’s game-tying goal slowed Montreal’s momentum early in the third and forced overtime. The 24-year-old forward scored his sixth in nine games.
Key stat
30 — That’s how many shots the Canadiens have in their last two games. Utah outshot Montreal 14-5 in the first and 8-3 in the second.
Up next
Canadiens: Begin a three-game road trip against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday.
Utah: Host the Edmonton Oilers on Friday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2024.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
