Brian Gionta scored two goals to lead Montreal to a 5-3 victory against the Penguins at the Bell Centre this afternoon.
The Penguins (35-22-1) are scheduled to play in Washington Sunday at 12:08 p.m., although it remains to be seen if they’ll actually be able to get there.
Left winger Chris Kunitz, who is recovering from abdominal surgery, did not play today. It is not known if he will dress for the Capitals game.
Tomas Plekanec gave Montreal a 1-0 lead 29 seconds into the game, tossing the puck into an empty net after Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was driven into the boards behind the net by Mathieu Darche, effectively taking him out of the play.
The Penguins countered quickly, however, as Pascal Dupuis scored on a rebound at 1:02.
Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak denied Jordan Staal of the Penguins on a breakaway, but Dupuis followed the play and knocked the rebound out of the air and into the net for his 13th. Evgeni Malkin picked up the second assist.
Gionta put the Canadiens back in front, 2-1, when he beat Fleury on a breakaway at 9:38 of the second. The goal came 13 seconds after a Penguins power play expired, the third time they failed to capitalize on a man-advantage.
Montreal, meanwhile, got a power play when Brooks Orpik was sent off for interference at 10:09, and needed just 12 seconds to take a 3-1 lead.
Scott Gomez got the goal, swatting a loose puck by Fleury from the right side of the crease.
Bill Guerin lifted the Penguins back to within striking distance at 13:57, when he beat Halak from inside the right circle for his 17th.
Sidney Crosby got the only assist.
That goal rejuvenated the Penguins, but Darche deflated them again at 7:15 of the third, when he beat Fleury with a slap shot from the top of the left circle.
Fleury, who had allowed four goals on 28 shots, was replaced by Brent Johnson at that point. There was no immediate indication that Fleury was injured.
Gionta snuffed any comeback hopes the Penguins had when he punched in a shot from the left side of the crease while on his knees at 10:47, although Malkin scored his 20th of the season on a shorthanded breakaway at 16:44.
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