It's still too early to decide who won the Max Pacioretty trade, but for now, the Montreal Canadiens are happy with their return as Tomas Tatar scored the game-winning goal for them Saturday night.
With the game tied late, Tatar's pass at the top of the crease went off the stick of Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore and past netminder Marc-Andre Fleury to give the Canadiens a 5-4 win.
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It marked the seventh goal and 14th point in 17 games for Tatar, who played 20 regular-season games last year with Vegas after being traded by Detroit in February. Following the trade to Montreal, the 27-year-old center told reporters during a conference call, "I want to prove I can be on the top lines and be productive and I can score maybe 30 goals."
So far, he looks to be on a pretty good pace.
Aside from the strong game Tatar has brought to the Habs, Pacioretty's play has given a reason for Montreal to believe it got the better end of the deal. The 29-year-old left winger has only two goals in 13 games with Vegas; however, he did miss four games after suffering an upper-body injury against Tampa Bay on Oct. 26.
Prior to the game, Montreal showed a video tribute to its former captain, who spent 10 seasons with the club. Sportsnet cut to Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin, who had a cantankerous relationship with Pacioretty, showing him clapping for the 2007 first-round pick.
With the win, Montreal snapped a two-game losing streak. The Golden Knights have dropped three straight.