Joel Eriksson Ek scores twice on power play, adds assist in Wild's 5-2 victory over Canadiens
Joel Eriksson Ek had two power-play goals and added an assist to help the Minnesota Wild beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 on Tuesday night.
Kirill Kaprizov added a goal and assisted on both of Eriksson Ek's goals, while Brandon Duhaime and Connor Dewar staked the Wild to a 2-0 lead with short-handed goals 25 seconds apart in the first period.
Marc-Andre Fleury made 27 saves for the victory in his hometown in his first start of the season. Mats Zuccarello had three assists.
Tanner Pearson and Alex Newhook scored for Montreal, and Sam Montembeault made 30 saves.
After Pearson cut it to 3-1 midway through the second period, Kaprizov restored the three-goal lead with 2:38 left in the period. Eriksson Ek made it 5-1 at 5:20 of the third with his second goal of the night.
The Wild went 3 for 8 on the power play, while the Canadiens were 0 for 4.
The matchup between Fleury and Montembeault marked the first time two Quebec-born goalies faced off in Montreal since Jan. 3, 2006.
UP NEXT
Wild: Host Los Angeles on Thursday night.
Canadiens: Host Washington on Saturday night.