Mackenzie Blackwood posted a 44-save shutout as the San Jose Sharks defeated the New Jersey Devils 1-0 on Sunday in Newark.
Published yesterday at 11:41 p.m.
With this victory for the Sharks, the Montreal Canadiens (4-9-2) find themselves in 32e and last place in the general rankings of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Blackwood, who played for the Devils during his first five seasons in the NHL before being traded to the Sharks, has 11 shutouts in 205 career games.
Nico Sturm scored the only goal of the match. After a breakthrough between the two Devils defenders that Jake Allen blocked, Sturm sent the puck into the slot from the corner of the ice. It ricocheted off Timo Meier and ended up in the back of the net.
It was a third goal this season for Sturm, who has never had better than 14 goals and 26 points in a season in six years on the Bettman circuit.
After losing their first nine games of the season, the Sharks have had better times recently with five wins in seven games. Allen stopped 26 pucks for the Devils, who had won their previous three outings. This is the second time they have been shut out this season.
Wild 1 – Blackhawks 2 (prolongation)
Philipp Kurashev scored in overtime to give the Chicago Blackhawks a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild.
Kurashev fired a low shot at the entrance to the zone to deceive the vigilance of Filip Gustavsson. He helped his team end an ugly 12-game losing streak against the Wild. The former Quebec Remparts has three goals and an assist in 15 games this season.
Jason Dickinson had previously opened the scoring in the first period for the Illinois club, which avoided a third defeat in a row.
Matt Boldy forced an extra period by threading the needle with less than five minutes remaining in the game.
Gustavsson blocked 20 of the 22 pucks he faced in the loss. Petr Mrazek shined with a 32 save performance.
Blue Jackets 2 – Ducks 4
Brett Leason and Jackson LaCombe scored their first goals of the season and the Ducks ended a four-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets in Anaheim.
Leo Carlsson and Isac Lundestrom also lit the red light for the California club. In his first game of the season, John Gibson made 38 saves to bring the victory to his record.
Yegor Chinakhov and Kirill Marchenko scored for the Blue Jackets, who lost a fifth straight game.
At his 500e career game, defenseman Zach Werenski had an assist. Daniil Tarasov faced 29 shots, yielding three times.