LAVAL, Quebec (AP) — Claire Dalton had a goal and an assist as the Montreal Victoire defeated the Boston Fleet 3-1 on Monday night.
Anna Wilgren and Kristin O’Neill also scored, while Ann-Renée Desbiens stopped 18 shots for Montreal.
The Victoire took over first place in the six-team PWHL standings with their fourth consecutive win. They have 13 points, one more than the Minnesota Frost.
Hilary Knight scored her third goal of the season for Boston, which lost its second game in a row and sits last in the league.
Emma Soderberg made 28 saves in her first start this season.
Fleet: Knight is halfway to matching last season’s total of six goals, an encouraging sign for Boston. The Fleet, however, have only 12 goals through six games to rank last in the league, continuing a trend from last season.
Victoire: Montreal killed off a five-minute penalty to start the third, allowing only one shot, after forward Catherine Dubois received a game misconduct for a hit to the head of Boston defender Megan Keller. Montreal also shut down Boston’s power play — which entered 4 for 10 on the season — twice more in the period.
O’Neill put Montreal up 2-1 with a short-handed goal with 2:48 left in the second period. The 26-year-old center beat Soderberg on a breakaway, ending Boston’s power play 30 seconds in thanks to the league’s “jailbreak” rule.
Montreal’s league-worst power play fell to 2 for 25 on the season. After scoring twice on the power play in their season-opener, the Victoire have failed to score in their last 18 attempts with the advantage.
The Victoire take on the Fleet in Seattle on Jan. 5 as part of three straight games on the PWHL’s Takeover Tour. The Fleet visit the Minnesota Frost on Thursday before meeting Montreal in Seattle.
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AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey
