Allen shuts out former team in Devils' win over Canadiens

MONTREAL (AP) — Jake Allen made 34 saves and shut out his former team as the New Jersey Devils beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 on Saturday.

Allen, traded from Montreal to New Jersey at last season’s deadline, denied Montreal’s Owen Beck on a penalty shot with 15 seconds left to secure his fourth shutout of the season in his 20th start.

Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes each had a goal and an assist, and Paul Cotter and Luke Hughes also scored for New Jersey.

Sam Montembeault stopped 18 shots for Montreal, which lost for the seventh time in eight games.

Takeaways

Devils: Allen beat Montreal for the second time in two weeks. He made 29 saves in a 4-3 overtime win over the Devils on Jan. 25.

Canadiens: Regrouped after a slow start, but couldn’t solve Allen. He slid across the crease to deny Cole Caufield late in the first period, and stopped Josh Anderson on a breakaway in the second.

Key moment

In-house announcer Michel Lacroix asked fans to respect the national anthems “despite recent events.” Fans in arenas across Canada have booed the American national anthem, likely in response to a looming trade war between Canada and the United States, sparked by the threat of tariffs by President Donald Trump.

Fans at the Bell Centre were mostly silent, with sporadic jeers, during the singing of the “Star Spangled Banner.” The crowd sang along passionately during “O Canada.”

Key stat

Bratt extended his point streak to eight games, posting two goals and 10 assists during the run. In three games against Montreal this season, he has four goals and three assists.

Up next

New Jersey begins a two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament and returns to host Dallas on Feb. 22. Montreal hosts Tampa Bay on Sunday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl