Jacob Fowler impressed in his NHL debut, making 33 saves to help the Montreal Canadiens secure a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night. The Canadiens dominated early on, with goals from Alexandre Texier, Brendan Gallagher, and Cole Caufield giving them a 3-0 lead after two periods. Oliver Kapanen also found the back of the net to lift Montreal out of a two-game losing streak.
Pittsburgh managed to get on the scoreboard with goals from Bryan Rust and Erik Karlsson, the latter coming on a power-play opportunity. Sidney Crosby contributed an assist, bringing him within four points of surpassing Mario Lemieux’s franchise record for points. Lemieux, a hockey legend, currently ranks ninth in NHL history.
Tristan Jarry made 25 saves for Pittsburgh, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the team from suffering its third consecutive loss and ending a four-game point streak.
Montreal decided to call up the 21-year-old Fowler from their AHL affiliate, Laval, following a disappointing 6-1 defeat against Tampa Bay earlier in the week. Both Jakub Dobes and Sam Montembeault struggled in that game, allowing a combined total of six goals.
