MONTREAL (Ticker) -- The season debut of Mathieu Garon did not disrupt the defensive dominance of the Montreal Canadiens.
Garon helped shut down one of the most explosive teams in the league by making 18 saves and Steve Begin and Richard Zednik scored as the Canadiens held on for a 2-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.
Montreal has won four of its first six games (4-0-2-0) on the strength of a formidable defense that has allowed just four goals in the last five contests.
Goaltender Jose Theodore usually anchors the defense, but Garon came up huge in his first chance against Detroit.
"It was just a fluke that I decided to use Mathieu," Montreal coach Claude Julien said. "He got us a big two points. He's pretty good for a No. 2 goalie."
"I was sharp and ready at the start of this game," Garon said. "I'm just the backup, so I have to be ready. It doesnt' matter who we are playing against."
Despite his inexperience, Garon said he wasn't nervous.
"I approached the game against Detroit the same way I would approach a game against a bottom-place team," he said.
Garon only faced 11 shots in the first two periods but stopped all nine in the final 20 minutes. He got a break with 10:50 remaining, when he was caught out of position and Detroit's Brett Hull missed a wraparound on a wide-open net.
"We didn't establish anything until the third period," Detroit coach Dave Lewis said. "And then we generated some chances in the final period. We keep missing open nets. The whole league is like that so far this year. It's a fine line between winning and losing."
"The third period was tough, but I think the defense in front of me was super," Garon said. "It's fun to play behind a team like Montreal. I'm proud the way we played."
Montreal managed only 15 shots but got two past Dominik Hasek in the second period. Begin recorded his first goal of the season less than two minutes into the period and Zednik scored after a give-and-go with Mike Ribeiro 4:17 later.
Hasek faced eight shots in the game's opening 10 minutes, but the Canadiens had only seven thereafter, including two in the third period as they protected the lead.
"We showed a lot of poise out there tonight," Julien said. "It was intense out there. So far this season, we haven't allowed a goal in the third period. That proves we have confidence and pride. It's important that we stay sharp. Mathieu stepped up to the plate."
"It's frustrating, especially in the third period," Detroit defenseman Mathieu Schneider said. "We got our chances, but we couldn't finish them. That's mental stuff. That stuff we can correct."
Detroit's Mathieu Dandenault halved Montreal's lead with a shorthanded goal midway through the second period.
The Canadiens, wearing vintage jerseys from the 1945-46 season, came out strong, but Hasek made a couple of spectacular saves early to preserve a scoreless tie.
"Montreal did a good job early in the game," Lewis said. "They put pressure on us."
Montreal finally broke through just 1:44 into the second, when Begin and Jason Ward ran a two-man break. Ward skated to the net and passed across the crease to Begin, who put the puck past Hasek's stick.
"I'm happy to get my first goal as a Canadien," Begin said. "It's a big boost for me, especially when it came against Hasek, but really any goal I score is exciting. The most important thing is not my play, it is that we won the game and we got the two points."
The Canadiens capitalized on a turnover by Dandenault shortly thereafter as Ribeiro and Zednik took advantage of a 2-on-1 at 6:02.
Dandenault redeemed himself 2:23 later as the Red Wings were killing a penalty, taking a drop pass from Henrik Zetterberg and firing a wrist shot over Garon's right shoulder.
Montreal missed a pair of chances to seal the game in the final minutes. Michael Ryder hit the goalpost on a power play with 2:30 remaining and Marian Hossa misfired on a breakaway with just under two minutes to go.
Hasek was pulled with one minute left, but the Red Wings were unable to manufacture a good scoring chance with the extra attacker.
