Jaroslav Halak blocked all 34 shots he faced Tuesday for his first shutout of the season, a 3-0 Montreal win over Vancouver. Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Markov each had a goal for the Canadiens, who had lost 12 of their previous 16 games.

Andrei Kostitsyn scored the go-ahead goal with 2:16 remaining in the third period Friday night, boosting the Montreal Canadiens to a 4-2 victory over Colorado. The Canadiens ended a four-game losing streak, which matched their longest of the season.

Jose Theodore made 28 saves Friday to record the 27th shutout of his career and bring Washington a 3-0 win over Montreal. Theodore earned 23 of his shutouts while playing eight seasons with Montreal. Tomas Fleischmann, Alexander Ovechkin and David Steckel scored to help the Capitals win their second straight after enduring a three-game losing streak. Ovechkin extended his points streak to 10 games, during which he has 11 goals and 11 assists.

By Mike Patterson, Omaha World-Herald, Neb. Jan. 17--Surrendering what most would consider a soft goal in the opening minutes on Tuesday night only strengthened the resolve of Curtis McElhinney.