MTL@WPG: Game 1 Recap

WINNIPEG - The Canadiens secured a 5-3 win over the Jets on Wednesday night at Bell MTS Place to take a 1-0 series lead.

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It was the first playoff matchup in NHL history between the two teams.

Interim head coach Dominique Ducharme didn't make any lineup changes ahead of the series-opener.

For his part, goaltender Carey Price was looking to pick up where he left off in Round 1 against the Maple Leafs.
It was his 75th career postseason start.

The Canadiens opened the scoring at the 3:30 mark of the first period.
Centreman Jesperi Kotkaniemi redirected a pass from defenseman Jeff Petry that beat goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to give Montreal a 1-0 lead.

It was Kotkaniemi's fourth goal of the playoffs.
Defenseman Erik Gustafsson also collected an assist on the play.
Just 1:40 later, centreman Eric Staal lit the lamp to give Ducharme's contingent a 2-0 advantage.
Left unmarked in close proximity to Hellebuyck, Staal buried a perfect feed from right-winger Corey Perry to register his first goal of the playoffs.

It was the 22nd postseason goal of his career.
For his part, Perry extended his point streak to four games with an assist on the tally.
Defenseman Joel Edmundson also collected his first postseason point with the Canadiens on the sequence.
The Jets responded with 8:08 left in the frame while short-handed.
Centreman Adam Lowry intercepted a pass attempt by Gustafsson before beating Price five-hole on a breakaway.

It was Lowry's first goal of the playoffs and the fourth playoff snipe of his career.
The Canadiens' two-goal lead was restored by Nick Suzuki with 2:46 left before the break.
He showed remarkable patience on a 2-on-1, tucking the puck past Hellebuyck to make it 3-1 in favor of the visitors.

It was Suzuki's third goal of the playoffs.
The London, ON native extended his point streak to four straight games on the play.
Edmundson picked up his second assist of the night on the goal.
Right-winger Cole Caufield assisted on the goal as well.
That's the way things stood after 20 minutes. Montreal led 12-11 in shots.
No goals were scored in the second period. Winnipeg led 22-21 in shots heading into the final stanza.
The Jets solved Price with 10:38 remaining in regulation.
Defenseman Derek Forbort found space in the slot and made no mistake with a precise blast.

It was Forbort's first goal of the playoffs and the second postseason goal of his career.
Forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois and Mathieu Perreault assisted on the tally.
The Canadiens responded just two minutes later on the power play.
Brendan Gallagher jumped on a rebound off a Shea Weber breakaway attempt to give Montreal a 4-2 lead.

It was Gallagher's second goal of the playoffs and the 13th postseason goal of his career.
Petry amassed his second helper of the night on the play.
Left-winger Kyle Connor made it a one-goal game with 1:42 left in regulation by converting a cross-ice feed from Nikolaj Ehlers.
It was his third goal of the playoffs and the ninth postseason goal of his career.
Jake Evans capped the scoring with an empty-netter for the Canadiens.
Tyler Toffoli and Staal collected assists on the play.
Price made 27 saves in the win.

Game 2 will be played on Friday night at Bell MTS Place. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.