Ducks 2 - 1 Canadiens
Final
  for this game

Ducks edge Canadiens after Koivu honored

Dec 19, 2014 - 5:15 AM Montreal, QC (SportsNetwork.com) - Frederik Andersen made 23 saves and the Anaheim Ducks beat the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 on Thursday night for their eighth win in nine games.

Hampus Lindholm and Matt Beleskey scored for the Ducks, who were coming off a 6-2 loss to Toronto on Tuesday, which snapped their seven-game winning streak.

Beleskey's winner came 8:33 into the third period, his 15th goal of the season.

David Desharnais scored for the Canadiens, who had a three-game winning streak snapped. Carey Price gave up two goals on 23 shots.

"It was a good game. We competed," said Montreal coach Michel Therrien. "We had good scoring chances. I liked our work ethic against a first place team. But we just didn't score on the chances we had."

The Canadiens lost after honoring longtime captain Saku Koivu with a tribute before the game.

Koivu played his first 13 seasons with Montreal, missing almost all of the 2001-02 season while he battled non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He retired in September after spending his last five seasons with the Ducks.

During a speech on the ice, he thanked fans, former teammates and the doctors who helped him beat cancer and offered condolences to the family of Canadiens legend Jean Beliveau, who died two weeks ago, saying Beliveau represented to him what the captain of a hockey team should be.

Max Pacioretty, Montreal's leading scorer, left the game in the third period after he was checked from behind into the boards by Anaheim defenseman Clayton Stoner.

Pacioretty was several feet from the boards in the Ducks zone when he was hit from behind by Stoner after releasing a pass. The check sent Pacioretty flying into the glass, with his head area appearing to strike first.

"Was it a late hit? I haven't had a chance to see it," Stoner said. "I hope he's alright. I didn't have any intentions to hurt him."

He was on the ice for a bit before skating slowly off the ice with 15:40 remaining in the period. Stoner was not whistled for a penalty on the play but got a five-minute major a little later after fighting Brandon Prust.

Lindholm's slap shot from the high left side gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead 8:16 into the game, beating Price into the top of the net.

After a scoreless second period, Desharnais tied the game for Montreal on a power play at 5:27 of the third with a one-timer from the right side off Andrei Markov's pass.

The Ducks re-gained the lead four seconds after a power play expired when Beleskey, moving through the right circle, swept a one-timer into the top of the net off Rickard Rakell's pass from behind the blue line.

Game Notes

The Ducks are 3-1 on a five-game road trip that finishes Friday in Ottawa ... Montreal's next game is also against Ottawa on Saturday. The Canadiens are 3-1 on a five-game homestand.






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