Canadiens roll 7, rout Detroit
Maple Leafs top LA for 5th straight win
MONTREAL — Jonathan Drouin scored twice, Tomas Plekanec had a goal in his 1,000th game, and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Detroit Red Wings 7-3 Monday night.
Tomas Tatar, Brendan Gallagher, Charles Hudon and Paul Byron also scored for the Canadiens. With Carey Price still out with the flu, backup goalie Antti Niemi stopped 25 shots for his second consecutive victory.
Andreas Athanasiou had two goals and Thomas Vanek also scored for the rebuilding Wings, who are winless through six games (0-4-2) for their worst start in franchise history. Jimmy Howard gave up five goals on 20 shots before being replaced by Jonathan Bernier in the second period. Bernier finished with 13 saves.
The Red Wings, who were coming off an 8-2 loss to Boston, have now allowed an NHL-worst 29 goals over six games.
Montreal has won six straight against Detroit dating back to March 2017.
After Drouin opened the scoring for Montreal on a penalty shot at 7:13 of the first, Plekanec made it 2-0 by shooting a puck on goal that Filip Hronek deflected past his own goalie at 16:56.
Athanasiou got one back for Detroit 28 seconds later before Tatar restored the two-goal lead by batting a puck in mid-air past Howard in the waning seconds of the first.
Gallagher got his third of the season at 3:52 of the second on a nice pass from Tatar. Hudon made it 5-1 less than a minute later.
Drouin, on the power play, scored his second of the game with just over 4 minutes remaining in the period as he shovelled a loose puck past a sprawled-out Bernier.
Athanasiou pulled the Red Wings to 6-2 at 7:30 and Vanek caught Niemi looking the wrong way on a wraparound at 10:11 for his first point of the season.
Byron added Montreal’s seventh goal of the game with 1:49 remaining.
MAPLE LEAFS 5, KINGS 1: In Toronto, Garret Sparks made 33 saves in a surprise start, Kasperi Kapanen scored twice and Toronto beat Los Angeles for its fifth straight win.
Patrick Marleau and Mitch Marner also scored to help Toronto win for the sixth time in seven games. Auston Matthews and Jake Gardiner each added two assists.
Ilya Kovalchuk scored for the Kings, who have lost four of six (2-3-1). Jack Campbell stopped 21 shots for Los Angeles.
Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock announced Sparks as the game’s starter ahead of No. 1 goalie Frederik Andersen after the morning skate.
PREDATORS 4, WILD 2: In Nashville, Tenn., Ryan Johansen and P.K. Subban each had two assists, and Nashville won for the fifth time in six games.
Craig Smith, Mattias Ekholm, Filip Forsberg and Miikka Salomaki scored for Nashville, and Pekka Rinne finished with 29 saves.
Mikko Koivu had a goal and an assist for the Wild, and Matt Dumba also scored.
SENATORS 4, STARS 1: In Ottawa, Ontario, Craig Anderson made 37 saves to lead Ottawa past Dallas.
Maxime Lajoie scored in the second period, and Brady Tkachuk, Mikkel Boedker and Zack Smith all tallied in the third for the Senators.
John Klingberg had the lone goal for Dallas, which was playing its first road game after opening the season with four at home. Ben Bishop made 21 saves.
With the score tied 1-1, the Senators went ahead for good early in the third as Dylan DeMelo put a shot on goal and Tkachuk, right in front, redirected it past Bishop at 1:27.