Canadiens end skid in shootout, defeat Flyers without fans in arena

MONTREAL -- The Montreal Canadiens got their first win in eight games, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in the shootout at Bell Centre on Thursday.

Cayden Primeau made 37 saves, then stopped three straight Philadelphia shootout attempts after Jonathan Drouin scored on Montreal's first shot of the tiebreaker. Laurent Dauphin scored his first goal in five years for the Canadiens (7-21-3), who were 0-6-1 in seven games since a 6-3 win at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 27.
"Whenever you win, whether it's in the playoffs or in a situation like we're in now, that's why we play, it's to win," Montreal coach Dominique Ducharme said. "The feeling is always good."
Carter Hart made 38 saves, and Jackson Cates scored his first NHL goal for Philadelphia (11-12-5), which had a three-game winning streak end.
"It was a hard-fought game, obviously a little bit up and down at certain points of the game," Flyers coach Mike Yeo said. "I thought both goalies played real well tonight, and at the end of the night it was a good hockey game."

The game was played without fans at the request of Quebec public health officials because of rising COVID-19 cases in the region.
"Today was a bit of a wake-up call," Drouin said. "We weren't expecting that there wouldn't be fans in the stands this year with the vaccines. We were told the opposite, but it's tough to see that again without the fans' energy. After that, health and safety is more important than going to watch a hockey game."
The NHL announced on Friday the Canadiens game at home against the Boston Bruins on Saturday had been postponed because of COVID-19 concerns. A makeup date will be announced at a later time. Their next schehduled home game is Jan. 4.
Dauphin tied it 2-2 at 14:51 of the third period when he backhanded a loose puck in front. It was his first goal since Dec. 10, 2016, for the Arizona Coyotes against the Nashville Predators.
"If you're not playing (in the NHL), you can't score either," Dauphin said.
Artturi Lehkonen deflected Brett Kulak's rising shot from the right point to give Montreal a 1-0 lead at 5:20 of the first period.

Max Willman tied it at 1-1 at 2:20 of the second. He scored from the right face-off circle when the puck deflected to him after James van Riemsdyk stripped it from Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry in front of the net.
Cates put the Flyers up 2-1 at 19:00, driving the left side and scoring on a wrist shot between Primeau's pads.
"We knew that we had a lot more to give and came out in the second period and played a lot better hockey, and just played a full-ice game," Hart said.
NOTES: It was Montreal's first shootout of the season; Philadelphia is 0-3. … Canadiens forward Mathieu Perreault did not play because of a lower-body injury. … Primeau got his first win of the season in his third game.