Despite a strong start to the game for the Canadiens, it was the Penguins who opened the scoring after nine minutes of play, thanks to Kasperi Kapanen.
Pittsburgh finished the period leading 8-7 in shots, but Montreal still managed several solid scoring chances, with Artturi Lehkonen, Nick Suzuki, and Mike Hoffman all ringing iron.
In the second, after a string of penalties against the Canadiens, the Penguins finally capitalized on the power play with Kale Clague in the box for tripping and doubled their lead on Evan Rodrigues' ninth of the season at the 6:45 mark.
The Habs got back in the game not long after, however, with Laurent Dauphin recovering the puck in the corner and feeding it to Jonathan Drouin, who beat Pittsburgh starter Tristan Jarry with a slick move on the backhand.