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Dandenault, Downey spark Canadiens to sixth win in seven games

Dec 28, 2006 - 6:32 AM WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Montreal Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau got important contributions from a pair of players not known for their offensive prowess.

Defenseman Mathieu Dandenault and tough guy Aaron Downey scored their first goals of the season and Cristobal Huet turned aside 30 shots to lead the Canadiens to a 4-1 victory over the Washington Capitals.

In winning for the sixth time in seven contests, Montreal took advantage of a Washington squad still reeling after yielding six goals in the first 11 minutes of Tuesday's loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

"We started strong, knowing that they played last night," Carbonneau said. "We knew they were going to come back home and play well. We took control after the first 10 minutes and kept the play out of our zone. We really took advantage of where they were weak defensively."

Dandenault opened the scoring midway through the first period by depositing rookie Guillaume Latendresse's cross-crease feed past goaltender Olaf Kolzig and inside the right goalpost.

Downey doubled the advantage with 1:45 left on the opening session by deflecting in Radek Bonk's pass from the doorstep for his initial tally of the campaign.

"It's always good to score, but it's always better to win," Downey said.

Captain Saku Koivu netted a power play-goal - his 15th tally of the campaign - by redirecting defenseman Sheldon Souray's shot past Kolzig's left pad with less than 5 1/2 minutes remaining in the third for a 3-0 lead.

"I think we respected their speed," Washington coach Glen Hanlon said. "At the end of the first period, they had only seven shots on goal. I thought we played well. I'm not disappointed. I thought special teams was the difference for us early on."

Montreal was called for three minor penalties in the final 3:22, including ones on Bonk and defenseman Craig Rivet 30 seconds apart to give Washington a 5-on-3 advantage.

However, the Canadiens held off the Capitals' late surge and sealed the win on Souray's shorthanded empty-netter with 45 seconds left.

"It frustrates me the most," Carbonneau said. "You battle for 55 minutes and then (we got) some bad calls. For me, that's frustrating. Rivet got elbowed and (Mike) Komisarek got cross-checked, but no calls were made. That's unfortunate, but we were able to hang on."

Huet raised his record to 15-4-3, making 14 saves in the first period and five in the second before Alexander Semin spoiled his bid for his third shutout of the season by scoring his 16th goal with 2:56 to play.

"I watched the replays between periods," Hanlon said. "We had some chances to score more than once during the game. There were several scrambles in front of the net. (Huet) made some great saves."

"We just shut those guys down," Komisarek said. "We didn't give them much, and when we did, Huet came up big and shut them down. As a unit, I think we played great."

Kolzig stopped 23 shots for the Capitals, who have dropped four of their last five contests.