Twenty Years Later: Canadiens 6, Penguins 3 - 01-06-11
"Twenty Years Later" is a segment with a highly unimaginative name which will appear on Empty Netters throughout the 2010-11 season. We will examine the Penguins' 1990-91 season which led to the first Stanley Cup title in franchise history. We will look back on games on a particular date and catch up with former players, coaches, executives and media members who were a part or around that team.
Today, we look at the Penguins' 6-3 loss to the Canadiens, Jan. 6, 1991.
The Penguins dropped their second consecutive road game at the Montreal Forum. The Canadiens took a 1-0 lead 9:58 into the game when defenseman J.J. Daigneault scored with a slapper beating Frank Pietrangelo through the five hole on a power play. Assists went to right winger Stephane Richer and center Denis Savard.
The Penguins responded just over two minutes later at 11:54 with a shorthanded goal by right winger Scott Young against goaltender Patrick Roy. Left winger Phil Bourque recorded the lone assist.
At the 12:14 mark, on the same power play, center Stephan Lebeau put the Canadiens back up, 2-1, left winger Tom Chorske and Daigneault were credite with assists.
Defenseman Eric Desjardins increased the lead to 3-1 with a slapper from the right circle at the 13:57 mark. Right winger Russ Courtnall had the only assist.
Bourque beat Roy through the five hole with a wrister from the left wing at 16:18 made it 2-1. Rookie right winger Jaromir Jagr and defenseman Paul Coffey netted the assists.
Almost immediately afterwards, the Canadiens struck again. At 16:31, center Guy Carboneau put Montreal up, 4-2, with an assist from Courtnall.
All of 11 seconds into the second period, Carboneau struck again with a wrister from the right circle to make it 5-2. Courtnall had the lone assist once again.
At the 12:22 mark, left winger Brent Gilchrist scored against goaltender Wendell Young off assists from Daigneault and Richer.
Right winger Joe Mullen capped off the scoring at the 1:05 mark of the third period to make it 6-3. Assists went to defensemen Zarley Zalapski and Larry Murphy.
Notes:
-Pietrangelo made 38 saves and recorded the loss.
-The three stars were: 1.) Daigneault 2.) Courtnall 3.) Carboneau.
-The Penguins were outshot, 44-22.
-Center Bryan Trottier skipped the game due to an illness. Right winger Tony Tanti also sat out due to allergies after his face and hands swelled up.
Patrick Division standings:
| Record | Points | |
| Rangers | 24-13-7 | 55 |
| Flyers | 21-19-6 | 48 |
| Penguins | 22-20-3 | 47 |
| Devils | 19-16-9 | 47 |
| Capitals | 20-22-2 | 42 |
| Islanders | 15-21-5 | 35 |
Also in the news that day:
-Quarterback Boomer Esiason threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score to lead the Cincinnati Bengals to a 41-14 defeat of the Houston Oilers in an AFC Wild Card playoff game at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.
-Placekicker Kevin Butler booted three field goals and helped the Chicago Bears beat the New Orleans Saints 16-6 in an NFC Wild Card playoff game at Soldier Field in Chicago.
-Iraqi president Saddam Hussein held a national television address and proclaimed that his country would stage a long war against the "tyranny presented by the United States."