Canadiens beat Penguins 2-1 in shootout to open preseason

The Montreal Canadiens opened their NHL preseason Monday at the Bell Centre with a gritty 2-1 shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, Oliver Kapanen converting the decisive attempt in the fifth round. The game marked the start of an early evaluation period for Montreal as the club tests new and returning pieces ahead of the regular season.

Pittsburgh struck first when Tristan Broz scored with a power play tally at 10:26 of the first period. The Canadiens pressured through the evening before Owen Beck tied the game at 2:36 of the third period, just seven seconds after a Montreal power play expired. The game remained deadlocked through overtime and was decided in the shootout by Kapanen for Montreal. The Penguins went 1 for 4 on the power play while the Canadiens were 0 for 5.

Goaltending played a major role. Sam Montembeault stopped 20 of 21 shots before being replaced midway through the second period by Jacob Fowler, who handled the remainder of regulation and overtime and made four saves in the shootout. Pittsburgh began with Joel Blomqvist in net before replacing him with Sergei Murashov, who stopped three of five in the shootout. The Canadiens outhit the Penguins 32-23 and...