The Habs jumped to a 10-3 in shot attempts within the first five minutes of the game, but shots on net were tied 2-2. Corey Schneider did not look particularly sharp to start the game, but he only had to deal with three shots on net by the ten-minute mark of the first period.
Alexei Emelin took an interference penalty for a late hit on Bobby Farnham, but the Devils were only able to manage one shot on net on their subsequent powerplay.
The Devils were charged with a Too Many Men penalty a minute after. With Brendan Gallagher posted in front of the net a minute into the powerplay, Max Pacioretty took a low shot that beat Corey Schneider. The Devils reviewed the goal, and eventually challenged it for goaltender interference, but the call on the ice was maintained, and the Habs had the 1-0 lead.
With 16 seconds left in the period, the Devils took another penalty, with Bobby Farham sent off for interfering with Devante Smith-Pelly.
The Habs lead 1-0 heading into the second, and will have 1:44 of powerplay time to work with to build on their lead.
Scoring Summary
| 1ST PERIOD | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19:00 | MTL | PPG – Max Pacioretty (17) Tip-in – ASST: Tomas Plekanec (23), P.K. Subban (27) | 1 – 0 MTL | |
Penalty Summary
| 1ST PERIOD | ||
|---|---|---|
| 14:46 | MTL | Alexei Emelin Interference – 2 min against Bobby Farnham |
| 17:57 | NJD | Stefan Matteau Too many men/ice – bench – 2 min |
| 19:44 | NJD | Bobby Farnham Interference – 2 min against Devante Smith-Pelly |
Shots
| PERIOD | NJD | MTL |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 9 | 8 |
| Total | 9 | 8 |
Team Stats
| CATEGORY | NJD | MTL |
|---|---|---|
| Power Plays | 0/1 | 1/2 |
| Hits | 10 | 13 |
| Faceoff Wins | 7 | 12 |
| Giveaways | 1 | 6 |
| Takeaways | 0 | 3 |
| Blocked Shots | 6 | 4 |
| Penalty Minutes | 4 | 2 |
