Carey Price got his night. The Canadiens did not get the win. In a game that stayed 0-0 for 40 minutes, the Minnesota Wild beat Montréal 2-1 in overtime at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 10, when Kirill Kaprizov scored 21 seconds into the extra period on the power play. The Habs (11-3-4, 26 points) still collected a point and are 7-0-3 in their last 10.
Price was inducted into the Hall of Fame the night before and entered the Canadiens Ring of Honour before the game. The Habs outshot Minnesota 28-24 and out-attempted them 71-55, but Jesper Wallstedt stopped 27 of 28 shots. For more on the goalie matchup, see our Habs vs. Wild preview.
How the Game Played Out
Neither team scored through two periods. The Habs had two power plays and could not convert either (0 for 2). Offsetting roughing minors to Josh Anderson and Marcus Foligno were the nastiest moment of the second period. The Wild finished 1 for 3 on the power play.
The game turned at 2:53 of the third. Anderson gave the puck away and Bobby Brink scored unassisted to make it 1-0 Minnesota. Anderson then took a hooking penalty, and the Habs killed it. Montréal pulled Jacob Fowler and went six-on-five, and at 18:22 Nick Suzuki tied it from Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson with the net empty.
The tie did not last. Caufield was called for slashing at 19:03, which gave Minnesota the power play to start overtime. Kaprizov scored on it 21 seconds in, on passes from Matt Boldy and Quinn Hughes.
| Period | Time | Team | Goal | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2:53 | Wild | Bobby Brink | Unassisted |
| 3 | 18:22 | Canadiens | Nick Suzuki (6-on-5) | Caufield, Hutson |
| OT | 0:21 | Wild | Kirill Kaprizov (PP) | Boldy, Hughes |
Game Notes: A Quiet First Period, a Waved-Off Goal and a Broken Stick
The first period belonged to Minnesota on the shot clock, 9-5, but Montréal had the better chances. Hutson was robbed by Wallstedt, and at 12:27 Newhook thought he had scored. After a video review, the NHL ruled that the puck hit the iron and never crossed the goal line, so the goal did not count.
From there the Habs took over. They outshot the Wild 23-14 over the last two periods and created the higher-quality chances for most of the night. The difference was Wallstedt, who stopped everything but one shot and looked like a wall.
Minnesota’s first goal came from a small mistake after a good shift. The Habs had spent a few minutes in the Wild zone, then Anderson, coming back from the bench, could not control the puck at the blue line. Brink stole it, went in on a breakaway and beat Fowler.
A broken stick then changed the ending. Late in the third period Caufield was called for slashing after breaking Hughes’ stick, which gave Minnesota the power play to start overtime. Kaprizov scored 21 seconds in, finishing a cross-ice pass from Boldy. Fowler was a step late on the shot, but you cannot put that one on him. It was an unlucky way to lose a point.
Team Stats
| Canadiens | Wild | |
|---|---|---|
| Shots on goal | 28 | 24 |
| Shot attempts | 71 | 55 |
| Power play | 0/2 | 1/3 |
| Penalty minutes | 8 | 6 |
| Hits | 18 | 22 |
| Blocked shots | 12 | 23 |
| Giveaways | 15 | 17 |
| Takeaways | 7 | 3 |
| Faceoff wins | 36/55 (65.5%) | 19/55 (34.5%) |
Goaltending
Wallstedt was the best player on the ice: 27 saves on 28 shots (.964) was enough for first star. Fowler stopped 22 of 24 (.917) and was the second star. He has now taken a point in 10 straight games and is 8-1-2 in 11 appearances. MoneyPuck had Fowler facing 2.80 expected goals against his 2 allowed, so he was above the average goalie on those shots.
Expected Goals
The shot quality favoured Montréal across the whole game. MoneyPuck has the Habs ahead 3.94 to 2.70 in expected goals in all situations. At five-on-five it was almost even: 2.39 for Montréal and 2.49 for Minnesota. Our own HABSHQ model has the same picture: 3.56 to 2.84 over the game and 2.25 to 2.61 at five-on-five, with the Habs ahead 13-11 in five-on-five high-danger chances. Different models, same message: Montréal created more over the full game, while five-on-five was close to even.
Our full game recap page has the box score and game data.
Who Played Well, and Who Did Not
By MoneyPuck game score, Suzuki (2.79) and Caufield (2.66) led the Habs, followed by Juraj Slafkovský (1.70) and Hutson (1.55). The bottom of the list: Anderson (-1.28), Kreider (-0.83), Bolduc (-0.72) and Kapanen (-0.67). Anderson was also on the ice for Brink’s goal.
Three Stars
| Star | Player | Line |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jesper Wallstedt (MIN) | 27 saves on 28 shots, .964 |
| 2 | Jacob Fowler (MTL) | 22 saves on 24 shots, .917 |
| 3 | Kirill Kaprizov (MIN) | OT winner on the power play |
Price Night and Fowler’s Streak
After being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Price entered the Canadiens Ring of Honour before the game, joining Shea Weber (2024), Pierre Turgeon (2023) and Guy Carbonneau (2019) as the most recent players added. Read our pieces on his Hall of Fame speech and Fowler following in his steps.
Fowler’s 10-game point streak makes him the ninth goaltender in NHL history to reach that mark at age 21 or younger, and the first since Price had a 12-game run in 2008-09.
Coach’s Take
This was the Canadiens’ best game of the season, by a wide margin. They met a hot goaltender in Wallstedt, who had a great night, and they lost on an unlucky call at the end when Caufield was penalized for breaking Hughes’ stick.
The real winners were the fans. Two of the best teams in the NHL this season gave them a fast, high-level game, with two excellent young goaltenders in Fowler and Wallstedt and two offensive defensemen who drive their teams in Hughes and Hutson. You cannot ask for more from one game.
Both teams deserved at least one point, and both got it. The Habs just did not get the second one. Their effort, their attention to detail and their level of competition were all there, so there is nothing to complain about in how they played. The disappointment comes from how it ended: an overtime winner on a 4-on-3 power play, after a penalty on a broken stick. A team that outshot its opponent 23-14 over the last two periods and went 7-0-3 in its last 10 deserved a better ending.
The night began with emotion, the recognition and celebration of Carey Price’s induction into the Ring of Honour, and the game lived up to the ceremony. For many hockey fans, Price is the only Canadiens goaltender they have ever seen. It is hard to compare him with Dryden, Roy or Plante when you never watched them play. The organization did great things for Price again, and the fans gave him one of the biggest standing ovations you will see at the Bell Centre.
The Wild won the game, but nobody lost. We will remember this night for a long time because of the Carey Price celebration.
What’s Next
The Habs play in Boston on Thursday, Nov. 12 (7 p.m. ET), then host Colorado on Saturday, Nov. 14. Minnesota improved to 13-3-4 with 30 points and 13 wins in 20 games. See where both teams sit in our NHL standings, and check our Lineup Tonight and Injury Report pages before puck drop in Boston.
Watch the NHL Highlights
The NHL has the three-minute game recap and the condensed game for Wild 2, Canadiens 1.
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Sources: NHL game data, MoneyPuck, RDS, HABSHQ analytics model.
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