Canadiens vs. Red Wings: Jacob Fowler Blanks Detroit as Zachary Bolduc Wins a Six-Round Shootout

The Montreal Canadiens thought they had scored three times on Saturday night. Not one of those goals counted. The only one that did came in the sixth round of a shootout, when Zachary Bolduc slipped the puck through Daniil Tarasov's pads, and that was plenty, because Jacob Fowler was not letting anything past him.

Montreal beat the Detroit Red Wings 1-0 in a shootout at Bell Centre. Fowler made 30 saves for his second career NHL shutout, then stopped all six Detroit shooters to finish it off.

The Goals That Weren't

If you like your hockey with a side of video review, this was your night. Just 1:16 into the game, Cole Caufield appeared to open the scoring, but after a lengthy review, officials ruled the puck had not completely crossed the goal line. The delay was long enough that Detroit's Lucas Raymond called it "a bit of a special start to the game."

At 7:03 of the second period, Bolduc beat Tarasov, only to have it wiped out because Jake Evans had interfered with the Detroit goalie in the crease. And at 2:37 of overtime, Alexandre Texier scored what looked like the winner, until the review showed Bolduc offside on the play.

Nick Suzuki, the Montreal captain, admitted the stop-and-start night wore on everybody. "It can get frustrating when you think you have a goal and you take the lead, and the review takes a while," he said.

A Goaltending Duel in Two Acts

With the goal judges and the replay booth doing most of the scoring, the goalies took over. Both teams went 0 for 4 on the power play, and both goalies stopped all 30 shots they faced through regulation and overtime.

Fowler's signature stop came at 3:35 of the third period. Andrew Copp drove in alone and went to his backhand, and the 21-year-old kicked out his left pad to keep it scoreless. Suzuki said the young goalie made the difference all over the ice. "He made some amazing saves short-handed, breakaways, shootout, so he's obviously a huge part of that win," he said.

Tarasov was every bit as sharp at the other end in his first start for Detroit. For 65 minutes, Montreal never found a way past him that survived a review.

The Turning Point: Round Six

The shootout became a test of nerves. Tarasov stopped Caufield, Juraj Slafkovský and Suzuki, while Texier and Lane Hutson both missed the net. Fowler matched him, turning away Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, Viktor Arvidsson, Dylan Larkin and Axel Sandin-Pellikka.

In the sixth round, Bolduc went five-hole for the first goal of the shootout. Fowler then stopped Nate Danielson, and that was the ballgame.

Fowler was candid about the emotional whiplash, especially after the overtime goal that got called back. "It's hard to line back up for a face-off after thinking you win the game in front of 20,000 people," he said. "So a lot of credit to our group for sticking with it and a huge goal by 'Bolds' there in the shootout."

Who Delivered

Jacob Fowler: 30 saves, a shutout and six shootout stops. Per NHL.com, at 21 years and 320 days he became the fifth Canadiens goalie to record multiple shutouts at age 21 or younger, joining Carey Price (four), Jocelyn Thibault (three), Jaroslav Halak and Patrick Roy (two each). His six shootout stops without allowing a goal are the second-most in Canadiens history, behind only Price's eight against Pittsburgh on Oct. 27, 2007. Not bad for a goalie who was recalled from the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.

Zachary Bolduc: A goal disallowed in the second, an offside that erased Texier's overtime winner, and then the shootout goal that finally stuck. Redemption arcs do not get much tidier.

Daniil Tarasov: 30 saves on 30 shots in his first start for the Red Wings. The loss is hard to pin on him.

Dylan Larkin: The most talked-about player in the building, for reasons beyond the scoresheet. More on that below.

The Larkin Subplot

Canadiens fans spent much of the night chanting "We want Larkin! We want Larkin!" at the Detroit forward. The 30-year-old was playing his third straight game for the Red Wings after missing the first two games of the season. According to NHL.com, he had asked to be traded and given up the captaincy. Larkin took the chants in stride. "It was interesting," he said. "I never would have imagined that in this building in my career, but they're passionate fans. In my opinion, this is the best atmosphere in hockey and they're knowledgeable and they love their team."

Stats That Matter

• 30-30: Shots on goal for each team, and saves for each goalie.
• 0 for 4: Both power plays. NHL.com noted that Montreal is now 1 for 17 with the man advantage this season.
• 34-26: Montreal's edge in faceoffs, good for a 56.7 percent clip.
• 22: Shots blocked by Detroit, compared with 12 for Montreal.
• 0 for 6: Detroit in the shootout.

What It Means

Montreal improves to 2-2-1 with five points, ending a three-game losing streak in which it had gone 0-2-1. It was also the Canadiens' first win on home ice in three tries this season. They host Buffalo on Tuesday night. Fowler, for his part, is trying to keep his feet on the ground. "It's a pretty emotional game and I feel like you always stand a little bit taller after a big win," he said. "So I need to bring myself back down to earth a little bit here."

Detroit drops to 1-3-1 with three points. The Red Wings were playing their first road game of the season and the second half of a back-to-back, a night after a 6-3 home loss to Seattle. Coach Todd McLellan liked the response. "I thought it was a really gutsy effort on our behalf," he said. "Back-to-backs aren't easy, especially early in the year." The Red Wings host New Jersey on Tuesday night.

Closing Take

This game felt like a romantic comedy where every big moment gets interrupted at the last second. Montreal leaned in for the kiss three different times, and three different times the review booth walked into the room. In the end, the Canadiens got their happy ending the hard way, and they have a 21-year-old goalie to thank for it. If Fowler keeps stacking nights like this one, the Bell Centre is going to need a new chant, and it will not be about anyone on the other bench.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details from the Associated Press; postgame quotes and notes as reported by NHL.com.