The NHL’s Last Double-Digit Shutout So Far- Montreal Canadiens v. Columbus Blue Jackets 11/4/2016

Originally published on Feb. 20, 2025

By Zane Miller

While an NHL team scoring 10 or more goals in a single game isn’t quite as wildly rare as you might think, as this has typically happened on one or two occasions per season for the past few years, something that does fit that description is the double-digit shutout. While this wasn’t always the case, as it happened more than a handful of times throughout the 1970s and 80s, the double-digit shutout frenzy was a distant memory by the time the new millennium rolled around. Going into the 2016-17 season, the most recent shutout of this nature occurred on January 2^nd, 1996, as the Calgary Flames took down the Tampa Bay Lightning 10-0 in a contest which saw forward Theo Fleury claim his 10^th career hat trick and fellow forward Michael Nylander have a four-assist game.

On Friday, November 4^th, 2016, the Montreal Canadiens headed to Nationwide Arena in an early season matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Based on what happened next, you might think that the Canadiens were having a horrible start to the year, but it was the exact opposite in actuality. Just two nights earlier, the team had a shutout of their own against the Vancouver Canucks, winning 3-0 as they did not lose in regulation time during the first 10 games of the season. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets were off to a decent enough start, winning four of their first eight and coming off of a 3-2 home win over the Dallas Stars.

Between the pipes for Montreal would be journeyman goaltender Al Montoya, playing in his first season in Montreal after bouncing between multiple different organizations. Taking on the role of backup behind recent Hart Trophy winner Carey Price, Montoya played well in his previous appearances on the season, winning three of his four starts with a .955 save percentage. This also included a 36-save shutout against the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Pittsburgh Penguins on October 18^th. The Blue Jackets sent out their franchise starting netminder in Sergei Bobrovsky, who was also off to an excellent start with a .941 save percentage and two shutouts to go along with four wins.

The game got off to an unassuming start in the first period, with the only notable incident in the first 10 minutes occurring via a Max Pacioretty hooking penalty, which was promptly killed off by the Canadiens. However, the signs of what was to come began bubbling to the surface shortly after, as Cincinnati Cyclones legend David Desharnais was called for tripping at the 10:24 mark. The Blue Jackets quickly took advantage as forward Cam Atkinson found the back of the net on the power play thanks to a superb backhand pass from captain Nick Foligno. Less than two minutes later, the secondary scoring would come into the fray as defenseman Seth Jones put it past Montoya on a pass from rookie Josh Anderson (who would actually go on to spend several years in Montreal). The hits would keep coming for the Canadiens as another Columbus defenseman lit the lamp, this time by David Savard banking a shot off the skate of Montreal defenseman Jeff Petry. A lucky break for Columbus for sure, but it was enough to put them ahead 3-0 after one period.

While a three-goal lead is a nice cushion to have, it is far from insurmountable with 40 minutes still left to be played. The Blue Jackets would need to keep digging in the second period and did just that, capitalizing on another power play courtesy of Atkinson’s second goal of the night at the 4:12 mark. This kicked off an onslaught of power play tallies for the Blue Jackets, as Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher was hit with a four-minute double minor for high sticking on Alexander Wennberg. The Blue Jackets took full advantage, as Foligno scored the team’s fifth goal with one second remaining in the first half of the penalty, thus allowing Columbus to continue on the power play. Less than two minutes later, it would be forward Scott Hartnell putting in the Jackets’ fourth power play goal of the evening, though this would be the final power play handed out to either team for the rest of the game. Nevertheless, the momentum was still very much in the hands of the Blue Jackets as Foligno fought off a pair of Canadiens players in the slot for his second goal of the period at 13:39. With less than two minutes remaining in the period, Anderson fired a backhand shot through a screen of Montoya, blowing past untouched to make it an 8-0 game going into the third.

While the outcome was no longer in serious doubt, the Blue Jackets still had work to do in order to make some history. Bobrovsky had held down the fort nicely, stopping all 21 Montreal shots, but two goals would be needed with third-and-fourth line players taking much of the ice time. On the other hand, Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien was unwilling to pull Montoya from the game in favor of Price as Montreal had another game to play in less than 24 hours, which Price was scheduled to start.

For the first eight minutes of the third, Columbus failed to register a single shot on net as the focus turned to preserving the shutout. The Canadiens put seven shots toward the net during this time, all of which were turned away by Bobrovsky. However, hope reignited at the 8:06 mark with Hartnell becoming the third multi-goal scorer of the game for the Jackets, deflecting a Jones shot from the point to put them just one marker away from a 10^th goal. Thankfully for the Blue Jackets faithful, they wouldn’t have to wait long to see #10 go in. Just over two and a half minutes later, sophomore forward William Karlsson connected with Anderson on a cross-ice pass, setting up a golden opportunity with Montoya and the entire Montreal defense out of position. Anderson did not disappoint, depositing the puck into the empty net to make it a 10-0 game.

While this was already the first game to feature a double-digit score since the St. Louis Blues 10-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on March 30^th, 2011, the shutout bid could still be ended at any moment with a single lapse in concentration. However, Columbus could now focus fully on their defensive effort and only allowed a couple of Montreal scoring chances. The Canadiens’ final shot on goal from Tomas Plekanec was fended off by Bobrovsky, as he earned his 14^th career shutout and the first double-digit shutout in NHL history in over 20 years. Four different Blue Jackets had multi-goal performances, while Wennberg captured four assists for the first and only time of his career as of this writing.

This dominant showing by Columbus proved to be foreshadowing for events later in the season, as the team went on a 16-game winning streak in which they did not lose a single game during the month of December and nearly broke the 17-win record set by the Penguins in 1993. The Blue Jackets finished with a record of 50-32, but were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by the same Penguins franchise four games to one. Despite suffering the 10-0 setback, the Canadiens claimed a 47-35 record to reach the postseason, but they too were eliminated in the first round with a four games to two loss to the New York Rangers. Bobrovsky went on to claim the second Vezina Trophy of his career at the end of the 2016-17 season, thanks in large part to his 41 wins and .931 save percentage.