MTL@VGK: What happens in Vegas…

VEGAS -- What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, and the Canadiens have already put Saturday's game behind them.

Like in Arizona on Thursday, a tough second period was the difference for the Habs in the desert.
Following a wild five-goal opening frame which saw the Habs head to the dressing room down by just one, the Golden Knights stormed out for the second with a pair of goals from Ryan Carpenter and Reilly Smith just 39 seconds apart.
In Arizona it was Brendan Perlini who opened the middle frame with a pair of goals just 19 seconds apart, setting up two similar results in the two western towns.
"The second period was definitely very bad for us, and we played a lot in our own end. Still, I thought we were battling and creating chances in the first and the third," acknowledged captain Max Pacioretty, who registered an assist on Charles Hudon's tally -- the Habs' first of the night at 4:32 in the opening frame. "Getting scored on that many times in the second period is a backbreaker, and difficult to overcome."

The frequency with which the Habs have been allowing quick goals this year has also been difficult to explain.
"I've never experienced this so often during a full season," admitted Hudon. "It's tough to accept, but now we'll put tonight behind us and start working hard for the game in Philadelphia."
The Habs travel to Philadelphia on Sunday morning, and take on the Flyers on Tuesday before returning home to Montreal.
"We still have one game left on this trip. We'll try to erase these last couple of games by returning home with a win."
MAGIC SHOW
While the Habs were dealt a bad hand in Vegas, Nikita Scherbak for his part showed off his own soft hands on his first goal of the season.
The 22-year-old pulled off an impressive dangle midway through the opening 20 to maneuver the puck around Marc-Andre Fleury and into the back of the net for a slick goal.

"It was a great play by Alex [Galchenyuk]. He drew a couple of players in, then made a great pass while I was on the breakaway," described Scherbak, who now has three points in seven games since being called up from the AHL's Laval Rocket. "I thought that [Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury] was going to come out because I had so much time, so I just went around him."
With his first goal of the campaign now in the bank, Scherbak is looking to keep things going moving forward.
"I wouldn't say [it was my] best game, but it was a pretty good game," concluded the Habs' 26th overall pick from 2014. "I feel more comfortable now, especially after that goal."