Montreal − This was a thin and weak Montreal lineup Tuesday the Red Wings faced, and the Wings did exactly what a maturing, improving team should do.
The Wings never gave the Canadiens a chance, scoring early and often in a decisive 5-0 victory.
Montreal natives David Perron (two goals and one assist) and Joe Veleno (goal) each got on the scoresheet, and Lucas Raymond and Matt Luff added goals, while goaltender Ville Husso returned to the lineup and stopped 24 shots for his fourth shutout.
The Wings (35-33-9) swept a two-game road trip through Toronto and Montreal and have now won four of their last five games.
“I loved our game from start to finish,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “We didn’t spend a whole lot of time in our zone because we were getting defensive stops, but more importantly, we were connected. Our puck play out of our zone was great and it led to some good things.
“It was a complete game. The guys are getting what they deserve and that’s piling up a lot of wins here.”
BOX SCORE: Red Wings 5, Canadiens 0
It makes you wonder, and Perron certainly does, where would the Wings be right now had they gotten points out of two losses against Philadelphia, and a loss against St. Louis just this month? It would certainly be interesting.
“If we had won a couple of games, a few more games in the last month, it would be nice for sure,” Perron said. “Next year we have to get that feeling and urgency a little bit earlier so we remember how important every game is.”
Montreal dropped its fourth consecutive game (30-42-6), while potentially improving draft lottery odds.
More: Despite difficult season, Derek Lalonde feels Red Wings have taken steps forward
It was certainly a nice evening for Perron, who sparked the Wings offensively in his hometown. The two goals gave Perron 22 for the season, with 52 total points.
“I just liked our energy from the start,” Perron said. “We scored, and not just about scoring, but it felt like we were building and pushing and playing the right way. This is what it looks like, like Newsy (Lalonde) said after the game, to kind of pull a full 60 minutes together.”
Perron’s breakaway goal at 10 minutes, 9 seconds of the first period gave the Wings a 2-0 lead and dampened the energy level in the arena for the remainder of the evening.
“He just keeps scoring,” Lalonde said. “He plays, he does a lot of good things for us. He brings us energy and high compete and I love when he gets rewarded with offense. He got two (goals) today and I was hoping he could get a third there, and he had a good look on the back door there and guys were excited.
“But he’s been a great piece, he’s been great for us.”
Husso returned after missing the last two weeks with a lower-body injury, and was sharp when called upon, while winning his 26th game (26-19-6).
Husso was excited to return to play after missing the last seven games, and eager to build upon one of his best pro seasons and already establishing a career-best 52 games played.
“I felt good, and it’s always nice to get a good start and get right back at it,” Husso said. “It was a good game overall. I had a good start right away. Even in practice, I felt good. I was a little nervous before the game because it’s two weeks you don’t play, but I felt good overall. You score five goals, you keep it tight on defense which we did, (with) five goals you usually win a hockey game.
“You always want to play. Unfortunately I had two weeks to be out, but it’s real ice to be back.”
Lalonde liked the way Husso looked after the two-week layoff.
“Ville was excellent,” Lalonde said. “He had a couple of big saves early and looked sharp.”
This late in the season, with contenders resting key players and lottery-bound teams basically icing minor-league rosters, it can make for some odd results. But the Wings, who could have been emotionally decimated after key injuries and losing important pieces at the trade deadline, have been consistently chugging along and earning as many victories as they can.
“It’s been about us in this recent stretch of wins here,” Lalonde said. “It’s about us playing the right way, getting a little rhythm with our forward lines and our defensive pairs and getting great goaltending. I just like how clean the game (Tuesday) was from start to finish.
“We played a great game, so it’s encouraging, very encouraging.”
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan