Canadiens netminder Carey Price foils Cory Emmerton in Tuesday's 2-1 triumph. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)

Rookie forward Max Pacioretty seized the moment Tuesday night, scoring in regulation and in the shootout as the Montreal Canadiens beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings 2-1.

Pacioretty made the most of a rare opportunity to skate on a line with stars Alex Kovalev and Robert Lang, breaking a scoreless deadlock in the second period and later offsetting Ville Leino's shootout goal with one of his own.

"I got a lot of good bounces tonight," Pacioretty said. "But look at who I was playing with."

"Every time, he shows us something more," Canadiens head coach Guy Carbonneau said of the 19-year-old collegiate prospect. "We will have a difficult decision to make."

Pacioretty beat Red Wings netminder Jimmy Howard on a backhand deke to the glove side in the shootout, and Robert Lang scored the decisive goal on a backhand deke to the stick side.

Carey Price then foiled Valtteri Filppula to clinch the win for the Canadiens (5-2-0).

Price finished with 28 saves, including a spectacular stop on Brian Rafalski's slapshot from the point in the third period.

Price made the initial pad save, but the puck bounced behind him and he swung his stick backward to swat it away, prompting cheers of "Carey, Carey" from the capacity crowd of 21,273 at the Bell Centre.

Leino, a first-year NHLer voted the most valuable player in the Finnish League last season, scored in regulation for the Red Wings (2-1-2).

"He is a good player," Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock said.

Of concern for Detroit is the status of 46-year-old defenceman Chris Chelios, who took a slapshot off the right knee, limped to the dressing room and did not return.

The Red Wings didn't comment on the severity of the injury, which occurred with 14:49 left in the third period.

Pacioretty snaps stalemate

Montreal was outshot 12-7 in a scoreless first period, but Pacioretty, who spent last season with the University of Michigan, snapped the stalemate 4:42 into the second.

Skating hard to the net, he settled Kovalev's flip pass in full flight and beat Howard to the stick side with a backhand shot for his first pre-season tally.

"I called my dad this morning and told him who I was playing with and he hopped in the car as soon as he got off the phone," said Pacioretty, a native of New Canaan, Conn., about a seven-hour drive from Montreal.

"I know that my first goal of the season each year has been in front of my parents. So, I had a feeling this morning that I had to call my dad and get him up here because it has been too many games."

It remained 1-0 until Leino capitalized on a defensive miscue in the Montreal zone, pouncing on the puck and slipping it past Price to tie it 1-1 at the 6:35 mark.

Pacioretty nearly had a second goal as he was sprung on a breakaway by Kovalev with 90 seconds left in the third period, but Howard held firm on his backhand deke.

Howard finished with 26 saves.

With files from the Canadian Press