Fowler stops 46 shots as Canadiens shut out Blues 2-0

Jacob Fowler made 46 saves as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the St. Louis Blues 2-0 at Enterprise Center on Tuesday, October 27. Zachary Bolduc and Florian Xhekaj provided the goals in a game in which Montreal was outshot 46-20, according to Puck Empire's game summary and Sofascore's match report.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxUTr2jG74k

The teams finished the opening period without a goal before Bolduc put Montreal ahead at 8:37 of the second. It was his fifth goal of the season, with Mike Matheson and Alexandre Texier credited with assists. The Canadiens took that one-goal advantage into the second intermission, leaving St. Louis still looking for its first breakthrough.

Xhekaj extended the lead at 2:17 of the third period. Matheson collected his second assist of the night, while Kirby Dach also received an assist. The two scoring plays accounted for all of Montreal's offense on the scoreboard, giving Fowler a two-goal cushion to defend for most of the final period.

Sofascore reported that Fowler faced 24 shots in the third period alone, more than Montreal managed over the entire game. The Canadiens also blocked eight shots during that period and 18 overall, compared with 11 blocks by the Blues. St. Louis won 14 of the final period's 22 faceoffs but could not turn its sustained pressure into a goal.

Neither team scored on its three power-play opportunities. The Blues finished with advantages in both faceoffs and hits, winning 35 of 59 draws and recording 26 hits to Montreal's 19, according to Sofascore. Jordan Binnington stopped 18 of the 20 shots he faced in the St. Louis net, but the home side's offense offered him no scoring support.

Fowler was named the game's first star, followed by Matheson and Bolduc, Puck Empire's summary showed. The result gave Montreal the opening win in the clubs' two-game regular-season series. Their second meeting is listed for January 21, with the Blues visiting the Canadiens after being held scoreless in the first encounter.