Ostapchuk’s short-handed goal helps Senators tip Leafs 2-1

MONTREAL – Michael Pezzetta scored twice as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-0 on Tuesday, earning back-to-back shutouts to open the NHL pre-season.

Nick Suzuki also scored and defenceman William Trudeau added two assists for Montreal, which opened the exhibition season with a 5-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.

Samuel Montembeault — the Canadiens’ No. 1 goalie entering the season — stopped all 11 shots he faced through 31:28. Backup Connor Hughes saved 13 the rest of the way.

Montreal’s first line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky made its pre-season debut but showed rust despite a late goal from the captain.

Jake Allen, who the Canadiens traded to the Devils at last season’s trade deadline, stopped 12 of 13 shots for New Jersey, which travelled to the Bell Centre without most of its regulars.

Nico Daws allowed one goal on 11 shots after entering the game with 12 minutes remaining in the second period.

Devils defenceman Johnathan Kovacevic returned to the Bell Centre for the first time since the Canadiens traded him for a fourth-round pick this off-season.

The Devils lost 4-2 to the New York Islanders in their only other pre-season matchup on Sunday.

Neither team converted on the power play despite earning several opportunities. Montreal went 0-for-8, while New Jersey was 0-for-6.

The goalies ruled in a sloppy first period for both teams.

Allen prevented Owen Beck from scoring on a slot shot two minutes into the game. Four minutes later, Montembeault thwarted quality chances from Brian Halonen and Xavier Parent during a New Jersey power play.

Pezzetta opened the scoring at 2:42 of the second period, finishing off a tick-tack-toe play with a shot that beat a screened Allen. Xavier Simoneau and Trudeau earned assists on the play.

After the Canadiens failed to score on a four-minute power play, Reinbacher appeared to make it 2-0 with a pass from the point that slid between Allen’s pads. The goal, however, was waived off for goalie interference because Simoneau bumped into Allen in the crease.

The Devils earned a brief power play but couldn’t later in the second but couldn’t convert. Otherwise, the Canadiens continued to drive the play.

Slafkovsky missed the net on a wide-open shot from the slot midway through the period, while Daws denied Caufield on a breakaway in the dying seconds as Montreal’s top line remained scoreless to that point.

Beck, who had three shots on goal, couldn’t beat Daws with a one-timer from the low circle early in the third.

Florian Xhekaj, the brother of Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj, found himself open in front of the net minutes later but his deke to the backhand went wide as Montreal failed to build on its lead.

The Canadiens had two full minutes with a 5-on-3 advantage with eight minutes remaining, but still couldn’t make it 2-0. Filip Mesar came close, hitting the post just after the penalties expired.

Suzuki finally broke through with 4:53 remaining, deflecting a hard pass from Trudeau into the back of the net.

Pezzetta added an empty-net goal with 22 seconds left.

NOTES

Slovakian skaters Slafkovsky, Mesar and Devils defenceman Simon Nemec posed for a photo at centre ice before puck drop. The three players made history for their country by all going in the first round of the 2022 NHL draft. Slafkovsky and Nemec were first and second overall, while Mesar was 26th.

UP NEXT

Montreal: Visits the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.

New Jersey: Hosts the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

OTTAWA – Francis Fox, a former senator and cabinet minister in Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s government, has died at 84.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says in a statement announcing the death that Fox was a lawyer who was first elected as a member of Parliament in Quebec in 1972.

Trudeau says Fox served under his father as solicitor general, minister of communications and secretary of state for Canada.

In January 1978, Fox was forced to temporarily resign from cabinet after acknowledging in public that he had forged the signature of his girlfriend’s husband on a hospital form so she could get an abortion.

Trudeau says Fox’s contributions in 12 years serving in Parliament included introducing the landmark Access to Information Act and overseeing the creation of Telefilm Canada.

Fox was appointed to the Senate in 2005 and resigned on Dec. 2, 2011, his 72nd birthday, citing personal and family reasons for leaving three years before the end of his term.

“Francis left an indelible mark on Canadian politics,” Trudeau said in the statement. “Today, we remember him and the legacy he leaves behind. On behalf of all Canadians, I offer my condolences to his family and friends.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

More than a decade after retiring from football, Brett Favre says he has Parkinson’s disease.

Favre told a congressional hearing Tuesday that he had been recently diagnosed. There are nearly 90,000 new Parkinson’s cases each year in the U.S., according to the Parkinson’s Foundation.

Here are some questions and answers about the disease:

What is Parkinson’s?

Parkinson’s is a neurologic disease that robs people of control over their movements. It typically starts with tremors, and is characterized by slow movement, a shuffling gait, stiff limbs, balance problems and slurred speech.

Who gets it?

About 1 million Americans are living with Parkinson’s, and 10 million people worldwide, the foundation estimates. It usually appears after age 60, although sometimes it can develop before age 50.

What causes it?

The exact cause isn’t known but Parkinson’s develops when cells that produce one of the brain’s chemical messengers, called dopamine, begin to deteriorate and die. Dopamine transports signals to parts of the brain that control movement. Parkinson’s symptoms appear after enough dopamine-producing cells die that there’s too little of this neurotransmitter in the brain.

According to the foundation, most experts believe genetic and environmental factors are behind the disease. Dozens of gene mutations linked to Parkinson’s have been discovered and genetics account for 10 to 15% of all Parkinson’s, the group says. Other factors suspected of increasing the risk include head injuries, exposure to pesticides and herbicides and where you live. Favre said on a radio show in 2022 that he estimates he may have experienced “thousands” of concussions in his two decades in the NFL.

Is there a cure?

There is no cure but there are treatments, including medications that affect dopamine levels and a surgically implanted tremor-blocking device. Patients also can benefit from physical and occupational therapy.

What’s the prognosis?

Symptoms worsen over time, usually slowly. The severity of symptoms, and how quickly they progress, varies widely between patients. In advanced cases, people may be unable to walk or care for themselves. They also can suffer from depression, as well as memory and thinking problems.

While Parkinson’s itself isn’t considered fatal, people can die from complications of the disease, including lung problems as muscle weakness impedes the ability to cough and to swallow.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.