NEWARK, N.J. — Things are going so well for the Montreal Canadiens that even the kids they are bringing up from the minor leagues are contributing.
Making his NHL debut, big defenseman Jarred Tinordi set up Tomas Plekanec’s tiebreaking goal in the third period, and the Canadiens extended their winning streak to five games with a 2-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night.
“What a start for the kid," Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said of the 20-year-old son of former NHL defenseman Mark Tinordi. “We’re all pleased with the way he played the puck at net. It looked routine out there for him.
“He showed a lot of poise for his age and played very solid. He wasn’t nervous. He saw more ice time because you can see him become more comfortable. He made the right decisions."
The best decision by Jarred Tinordi was understanding that goalie Johan Hedberg’s clearing pass from behind the net took a bad bounce off the sideboards and was heading to open ice above the left circle. The 6-foot-6 Tinordi skated toward the puck from the right side and let go a shot that Plekanec deflected past Hedberg at 6:49.
“I felt pretty comfortable out there," said Tinordi, who played 19 shifts and almost 15 minutes just two days after being called up from Hamilton. “I think the nervousness and the butterflies were gone after the first couple of shifts.
“I tried not to think about the way I was playing. I knew we scored on the play. I didn’t realize I got an assist. The boys were pretty happy for me. I was just shooting it to get it on net."
Colby Armstrong also scored for Montreal, and Carey Price made 32 saves. The Canadiens moved into a tie with Pittsburgh for the most points in the Eastern Conference.
In other games on Saturday:
Penguins 3, Rangers 0: PITTSBURGH — Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 23 shots to break a tie for Pittsburgh’s career shutout record with 23, and the Penguins beat the New York Rangers for their eighth straight victory.
Bruins 4, Capitals 1: BOSTON — Nathan Horton had a goal and two assists, Milan Lucic set up Boston’s first two scores on hustle plays behind the net and the Bruins beat Washington.
Senators 4, Sabres 3: BUFFALO, N.Y. — Kyle Turris scored his second goal 3:54 into overtime to lift Ottawa past Buffalo.
Wild 6, Avalanche 4: DENVER — Devin Setoguchi scored twice and added the 100th assist of his NHL career to help Minnesota hold off slumping Colorado.
Blackhawks 8, Stars 1: DALLAS — Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa each scored twice in leading Chicago to a rout of Dallas.
Islanders 4, Panthers 3: SUNRISE, Fla. — Casey Cizikas broke a third-period tie, and the New York Islanders held on to beat Florida after blowing a three-goal lead in the final frame.
Lightning 4, Hurricanes 1: TAMPA, Fla. — Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat both scored their first NHL goals, and Tampa Bay beat Carolina.
Blue Jackets 1, Coyotes 0: COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sergei Bobrovsky made 39 saves in regulation and overtime, then two more in the shootout to finish with his second NHL shutout — both coming in the past week — to lift surging Columbus over Phoenix.
Blues 2, Ducks 1: ST. LOUIS — Chris Stewart scored 45 seconds into overtime and rookie Jake Allen made 27 saves, helping St. Louis end Anaheim’s five-game winning streak.
Jets 5, Maple Leafs 4: TORONTO — Zach Bogosian scored in the 10th round of the shootout to lift Winnipeg over Toronto, which lost its fifth straight.
Red Wings 5, Canucks 2: VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Henrik Zetterberg and Justin Abdelkader both scored two goals, and Detroit surged past Vancouver.
Kings 5, Sharks 2: LOS ANGELES — Kyle Clifford recorded his first two-goal game in the NHL, and Justin Williams, Jarret Stoll and Dwight King also scored as Los Angeles beat San Jose.