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Pavelec, Thrashers blank Canadiens for fourth straight win

Nov 27, 2010 - 3:32 AM Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Ondrej Pavelec made 25 stops to record his second shutout of the season, and the Atlanta Thrashers continued their hot play against the NHL's elite with a 3-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.

Rich Peverley scored twice, while Tobias Enstrom had a goal and an assist for the Thrashers, who have won a season-high four straight.

Ironically, the closest game of the four was a 2-1 overtime victory over the hapless New York Islanders; the other three games feature a 5-0 rout of the Washington Capitals -- the top team in the NHL -- and a 5-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings -- the top team in the West.

"We did great things from the first faceoff," Pavelec said. "We're doing well. We can see right now we can beat everybody, especially those teams that are really hot."

Alex Auld stopped 44-of-47 shots in a hard-luck defeat for the Canadiens, who have lost three of five. Carey Price was given the night off after starting the previous 12 games.

Atlanta took a 1-0 lead just before the first intermission.

A pair of Montreal defensemen were trying to start up ice on a rush, but fumbled with the puck near their own net. Peverley was able to steal it and fire it on net, and the disc made its way past Auld with 19 seconds before the end of the period.

Enstrom's third goal of the season provided the Thrashers with a 2-0 lead at 8:52, and Peverley's second goal of the night made it a three-goal game with 4:25 left in the second period.

On the power play, Dustin Byfuglien stopped a potential clearing attempt and immediately sent the puck to the right circle, where Peverley was waiting to accept the pass. He took the feed and fired a wrister into the top of the net for the commanding lead.

"The second period was the difference in the hockey game," said Montreal head coach Jacques Martin. "I thought both the first and the third were evenly played. They got a goal late in the first. kind of a bad bounce off our defenseman, but the second period, they were on the puck. They were more determined."

Pavelec didn't budge in the third, stopping eight shots for his fourth career whitewash.

Game Notes

Pavelec has given up four goals over his past five games...These teams split four meetings last season, although Atlanta garnered at least a point in all of them...The Thrashers' last four-game win streak came from March 16-21, 2010. They haven't won five straight since a six-game stretch from March 6-16, 2009.