VGK@MTL: A big win before hitting the road

MONTREAL - It was only fitting that Tomas Tatar settle the score against his former team on Saturday night.

With 7:43 remaining in regulation time, the 27-year-old Slovak registered the game-winning goal in a 5-4 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights at the Bell Centre.
That extended Tatar's goal-scoring streak to three straight games.
It certainly wasn't the prettiest of markers, but it still meant a lot.
After all, Tatar played 20 regular season games and eight playoff contests for Gerard Gallant's squad last season after coming over in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings. Then, he moved on to Montreal in early September as a result of another transaction that saw former captain Max Pacioretty move to Sin City.
"It was a lucky bounce. I wanted to give it to Phil [Danault]. He supplies me and Gally a lot throughout the season. I just saw him on the left side and I wanted to pass it to him. It was a good bounce to put it in," said Tatar, of his seventh goal of the year. "It was a big win. It felt good, for sure. I was extremely motivated to beat my old teammates. It was a little bit of a special game against them."

Head coach Claude Julien can't say enough good things about the way Tatar has gone about his business during his short tenure with the club.
To say he's a fan of the eight-year NHL veteran would be a big-time understatement.
"He continues to produce for us and I call him a warrior in the way that he comes to play. He plays hard every game," praised Julien, on the Canadiens' second-leading point getter, who has 15 points in 17 games. "You know what to expect from him. He's a hockey warrior, and he's got a great attitude. He's been a good addition to our team."

Shaw comes up clutch
Andrew Shaw didn't just score one equalizer on Saturday night. He scored two.
That was more than enough to earn him the honor of sporting the Canadiens' player of the game cape after the final buzzer.
"It feels pretty great," said Shaw, following his first two-goal effort since November 2017. "The guys fought hard. We didn't have the start we wanted [down 2-0 after the first period]. We put ourselves behind the eight ball. But, we got motivated in the intermission, came out flying and we found a way to win. It builds character in the room."

After watching from the sidelines as a healthy scratch for a pair of games in late October, this offensive outburst felt particularly good.
Playing on a line with Jonathan Drouin and Max Domi has helped his cause, too.
"Get them the puck and get out of their way. Go to the net, because you know you're playing with two amazing hockey players like that. Chances are the puck is going to end up there at some point," responded Shaw, when asked to describe his approach to plying his trade alongside the Habs' snipers. "I just work as hard as I can for them and try and make the best plays I can."

Julien likes what he's been seeing of late from the two-time Stanley Cup winner, who is getting his scoring mojo going again.
"He's found his stride a little bit more than he did in the beginning. That's what we talked about with him. He had some good practices when he wasn't playing and he pushed himself to try and find his stride and the pace to his game," explained Julien. "That's exactly what's happened. He's much better now. He looks better. He feels better. He's been a good help to us."
Speaking of Domi, he assisted on both of Shaw's goals to extend his point streak to six straight games. He boasts four goals and 10 points over that span.
Schlemko returns to active duty
Defenseman David Schlemko played his first game of the season on Saturday night.
Schlemko, who suffered a knee injury during the preseason, logged 20 minutes of ice time against the Golden Knights, blocking three shots and dishing out a pair of hits along the way.
"For a guy who was playing his first game in quite a while, against a team that really skates and plays a fast game, I thought he did a great job," mentioned Julien. "I thought he handled himself well enough that we moved him up in our pairings. He's just a smart player. He sees the ice well. He doesn't panic. For the most part, he makes a good first pass. He's got pretty decent skills. That's nice to see him back. I really have to say that he maybe surprised me how well he was prepared to play and how well he did in this game."

What's next
The Canadiens will enjoy a day off on Sunday, before travelling to Edmonton on Monday to begin a three-game trek through Western Canada.
They'll open with a tilt against the Oilers on Tuesday, before battling the Calgary Flames on Thursday and the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.