(Montreal) Cole Caufield scored on the power play after 1:43 of play and the Montreal Canadiens led 1-0 against the Edmonton Oilers after 20 minutes of play, Saturday night at the Bell Centre.
Caufield received a cross pass from Nick Suzuki and was able to shoot into a gaping cage.
The 23-year-old American came close to widening the lead later when goalkeeper Stuart Skinner struggled to control a backhand shot from Juraj Slafkovsky. Caufield was unable to beat him by hitting the puck in flight.
Samuel Montembeault made nine saves in front of the Canadian net in the first period. At the other end of the ice, Skinner stopped five shots.
The Oilers are trying to break a team record by winning a 10th straight game.
Forward Joshua Roy is playing his first career NHL game with the Canadian. He replaces Josh Anderson, bothered by a lower body injury which will be re-evaluated on a daily basis. Defender Justin Barron was also left out in favor of Johnathan Kovacevic.
For the Oilers, defenseman Philip Kemp is also taking part in his first NHL game.
The Canadian will play their next game on Monday, when they host the Colorado Avalanche at the Bell Centre.