Vancouver Canucks make third period comeback to take down Montreal Canadiens in shootout 4-3 -NHL Update
Roberto Luongo was back in the net for Vancouver and fell short on three straight shots in the first two period before his own team could get a single one through Montreal’s net, but eventually came back and fired three of their own to level the match and
take the win in a shootout decider on Thursday, December 8, 2011, at the sold-out Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
"After the third goal I just wanted to shut the door, and hopefully the boys would bail me out, and they did," Luongo said about his poor performance in the first 22 minutes of game play.
Frederic St-Denis potted his inaugural goal of the 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season 4:38 into the opening period to give Montreal a quick lead to build on.
Raphael Diaz came out strong giving Max Pacioretty and Erik Cole an assist with his second of the season with 1:09 to go in the first period.
Erik Cole added one of his own on a breakaway unassisted 2:20 into the second period which had the home in a strong position to carry on with the match, but as Mason Raymond kicked off the Vancouver scoring with his first of the season shorthanded, the Canucks
had got the boost they need to carry on with.
"That kind of got us going," Luongo said. "We've been a really good third-period team all year long and we knew that we could come back in the game. We got a huge goal early in the third, and it really gave us the momentum."
Cody Hodgson got a breakaway goal in the opening five minutes of the last period of regulation which put Vancouver within one reach of the score which Sami Salo followed up by with a power play goal to level the contest at the 15:20 mark, forcing an overtime
extension which would eventually lead into a shootout decider.
"We continued to play hard and the way that we know how," Raymond said. "When we play that way we're successful."
Hodgson scored his second of the night and only goal of the shootout on Vancouver’s first attempt while Montreal missed all on Luongo to give the Canucks their third straight victory.
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