NHL Update: Montreal Canadiens beat Calgary Flames in OT, 5-4
P.K. Subban recorded a goal in extra session, as Montreal Canadiens held on to take 5-4 victory over Calgary Flames and successfully blew a four-goal lead, at Bell Centre on Monday night.
"It's a big two points for us," Subban said. "We needed it. [Calgary] did a great job getting back in the game, but a win is a win. We'll take it."
Michael Cammalleri and Jeff Halpern each tallied a goal and had an assist for Canadiens, who have won six of their previous eight contests. Lars Eller and Andrei Kostitsyn also lit the lamp
for the victors.
Alex Auld started game on net for Montreal and was pulled early in the final period after giving up four goals on 24 shots. Carey Price replaced him and turned aside all four shots he faced
in relief.
Rene Bourque and Jarome Iginla netted goals for Calgary, which got a point in its fifth consecutive contest (2-0-3). Ales Kotalik and Alex Tanguay also registered goals in the loss.
Miikka Kiprusoff allowed four goals on 17 shots and was pulled afterwards in favour of Karlsson, who stopped 11 shots in rest of the play.
Eller opened the scoring for Montreal for initial 1-0 lead 4 ½ minute into the first period. The play was set up when Tomas Plekanec controlled the puck along the right-wing boards and crossed
the Flames blue line. Then he slapped a pass in the slot to Lars Eller, who knocked the puck in off the left post from a close range.
Cammalleri staked Canadiens to a 2-0 lead in 12th minute of the first period. The goal came when Cammalleri came out of the penalty box to collect a stretch pass from Halpern at the blue
line. Then he fired a wrist shot from the left circle into the top right corner of the net.
Montreal had two goals that were not allowed early in the second period. The first goal was disallowed 28 seconds into the period when Brian Gionta was whistled off for netminder interference.
After two minutes, Cammalleri almost scored his second goal but his shot went in the crease after Jay Bouwmeester pushed Eller into the net and removed it from its moorings.
Kostitsyn extended the lead to 3-0 in fourth minute of the middle session. It happened so when he rifled a shot from the right side past Flames netminder for his 12th goal of the season and
his second in as many play-offs.
Halpern gave Montreal a four-goal edge 6 ½ minutes of the middle period. Travis Moen tipped the puck off the boards to set up Halpern, who waited in the face-off circle until there was some
pileup in front of the cage and was rewarded when his shot deflected off Flames defenseman Adam Pardy.
Calgary showed some life and pulled within 4-2 by the intermission.
Bourque got Flames on the board six minutes left in the second period, as he rushed toward the net and deposited a rebound to make it 4-1 game.
Iginla halved the deficit 4-2 for Flames with one minute left in the second period. Bouwmeester set up the play by hitting a one-timer from the blue line toward the net. Iginla redirected
Bouwmeester’s shot into the net.
Calgary then dominated the play early in the final period, as it tallied two goals 1:20 apart to pull the game even.
Kotalik drew Flames within a goal to make it 4-3 game 1 ½ minutes into the third period, as he slapped a shot past goalie for his third goal of the season.
Tanguay knotted the scoring at 4-4 in third minute of the final session, as he beat Auld from a close range for his 11th goal of the season and sent the game in extra session.
"We battled hard and got a couple of bounces at the right time to get back in the game," Tanguay said.
Montreal secured the win 66 seconds into overtime. Scott Gomez dished the puck to Subban in the right circle. Subban moved to centre ice and ripped a wrist shot over the shoulder of Flames
goaltender Karlsson to account for the final scoring 5-4.
Tags: