Cole Caufield and Josh Anderson scored seven seconds apart in the second period, helping the Montreal Canadiens snap a two-game skid with a 4-2 win over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night.
Both Canadiens rookie Johnathan Kovacevic and Seattle rookie Shane Wright scored their first NHL goals. Kovacevic, acquired by Montreal in October after being placed on waivers by Winnipeg, has secured regular playing time this season and has three assists to accompany his first goal.
“It’s been a dream come true,” Kovacevic said. “It’s been something that I’ve worked toward. Everyone has a different path, and I feel like I’ve taken a long road to get here. That comes with more gratitude. I have a lot of appreciation for where I’m at.”
Kovacevic put Montreal on the board at 12:56 in the first period, and Wright tied it up at 15:30. Wright’s goal came in his first game back after a five-game conditioning stint with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds and against the team that passed on him with the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NHL draft. Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde assisted on Wright’s goal.
“It’s a great feeling,” Wright said. “I don’t really remember much of the play; I blacked out during the celebration. (I) was super excited, obviously.”
Caufield and Anderson responded in the second period, scoring at 2:05 and 2:12, respectively, to give Montreal a 3-1 lead. Nick Suzuki assisted Caufield’s goal, and Christian Dvorak and Juraj Slafkovsky assisted Anderson’s.
The Canadiens extended their lead at 18:40 in the second period with a goal from Rem Pitlick, assisted by Joel Edmundson and Jake Evans. Seattle managed to answer with a goal from Jared McCann, assisted by Andre Burakovsky, with just one second left in the period.
Jake Allen made 31 saves for Montreal, while Seattle goaltender Martin Jones stopped 12 shots.
Despite entering the final period with a two-goal lead, Allen wasn’t about to relax.
“There’s not many safe leads anymore,” he said. “It’s not like it was 10 years ago when you’re up three goals, you pretty much lock it down. This game is all about offense. You’ve just got to be able to manage the game better, play the game within the game, and I thought we did a better job in the third period tonight with that.”
The Kraken’s two consecutive losses follow their franchise-record seven-game winning streak, which ended with a 5-1 home loss to Florida on Saturday. Seattle completed a 1-2 homestand, while Montreal finished their four-game trip 2-2.
After a tough 7-6 overtime loss to Vancouver on Monday, Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis was pleased with his team’s resilience.
“We found a way to stay in it, get a point, and then get back at it tonight,” St. Louis said. “Was it a perfect game plan for us? Absolutely not. We found a way, and that is what this league is all about.”
Game Notes
Seattle forward Morgan Geekie returned to the ice after missing the past three games with an upper-body injury. Caufield and Anderson’s two second-period goals marked the fastest consecutive road goals in franchise history.
UP NEXT
Seattle: At the Washington Capitals on Friday.
Montreal: Host the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.
