First period
- Alex Newhook gets forgotten deep in the zone. He goes straight to the net and tries to deke Jonathan Quick, but the 39-year-old has the answer.
- New York counters on a two-on-one, but Carrier deflects the shot out of play before it can reach Jakub Dobes.
- Newhook again slips by on the wall and sees an open lane to the net and tries to sneak one past Quick’s ear, bu the shot goes off the glass and out.
- The Rangers get their first shot nine minutes in.
- The second shot comes as the puck hit the dasher board behind the net and came right back over the top of the net onto the stick of Alexis Lafrenière, who put it past an unprepared Dobes.
- What is with these bounces the last two nights?
- Quarter-century second-team all-star Brendan Gallagher gets a high deflection in front, and the Canadiens tie the game.
Brendan Gallagher gets a stick on the shot and we're tied up!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) January 19, 2025 at 8:36 PM
[image or embed]
- Arber Xhekaj feels a bit of pressure and just tries to flip the puck high of the zone. It ends up on the stick of Will Cuylle, who makes it 2-1 Rangers.
- For a second night in a row, the Canadiens are denied a goal by the flailing stick of the goaltender.
- Two times in about five seconds the puck gets behind Quick and somehow doesn’t cross the goal line.
- Shots end up 8-4 for Montreal. The score is 2-1 Rangers. The Canadiens must have left their travelling ghosts in Dallas.
Second period
- Suzuki and Caufield get back-to-back chances in the opening 10 seconds.
- Josh Anderson has a falling Ranger land on the side of his knee, and he has to essentially be carried to the dressing room.
- Matt Rempe tosses off his gloves and starts punching Xhekaj. Xhekaj has to respond, and ends up staggering the big man before scoring the takedown. That should be an extra minor for Rempe, and it is.
- A perfect setup comes to the side of the net to Suzuki on the power play. The crowd gets ready to cheer the goal, but again the puck refuses to cross the line.
- Finally the puck ends up in the net. Dvorak gets credit for the goal as it goes off the stick of a Rangers defender. It seems the hockey gods have switched allegiances.
Heck of a bounce for Christian Dvorak! 2-2 game in Montreal!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) January 19, 2025 at 9:22 PM
[image or embed]
- The ref decides New York needs a power play now, so he gives Guhle a double minor for roughing after a scrum in the crease.
- The Canadiens must have received a fresh batch of Pacioretty blood last night, because Anderson is back on the ice.
- … And taking a cross-checking penalty in front of the Rangers’ net.
- Mike Matheson gets cross-checked down by Mika Zibanejad at the top of the crease, with no call on that one. Four seconds later, Zibanejad scores.
- Since that goal, the Canadiens are having trouble getting out of the zone. That’s rearing its head in these past two games after not featuring much at all on the road trip.
- Will Borgen attempts a pass that ends up right on Suzuki’s stick. The captain ties the game from the slot.
Nick Suzuki steals, Nick Suzuki scores
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) January 19, 2025 at 9:48 PM
[image or embed]
- That’s the player the Rangers got for Kaapo Kakko.
- Not long afterward, Chris Kreider is abandoned at the side of net and completes an easy tap-in to put the Rangers back ahead.
- Now Adam Fox knocks a 10-foot high puck over the glass to give Montreal a power play. Everything is happening right now.
- The top unit stays out for the full two minutes, but can’t find another tying goal.
- A lot happened in that period, but the dust settles with the Canadiens still trailing by a goal.
Third period
- RDS mentions that Montreal’s last nine goals have come from nine different players.
- Borgen makes up for his gaffe on the Suzuki goal by making a leg save on an open look from the slot for Laine in the opening seconds.
- Guhle gets a cross-ice pass and fires a shot right off the mask of Quick.
- Montreal has had about five shot attempts in the first 128 seconds of this period.
- Suzuki gets taken down in front of the net. That’s a penalty on Urho Vaakanainen for interference.
- Suzuki checks his recently reinserted tooth to make sure it didn’t fall out again.
- Some great setups from Montreal, but they can’t find a goal.
- Mike Matheson attempts a pass with a man right in front of him at the very end of the power play and it results in a two-on-one. Not a smart play from him.
- We’re going end-to-end now with odd-man rushes. The Rangers have hit the post on two of theirs.
- Finally, on their 34th shot, Juraj Slafkovský lifts puck over Quick’s pad and ties the game up
Slaf gets to the net, gets a face full of crossbar and ties the game
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) January 19, 2025 at 10:35 PM
[image or embed]
- Hopefully the Habs can hold a bit of momentum after this goal.
- The game has settled down a bit as neither team wants to lose its point in this tight battle for the playoffs.
- After typing that, the Canadiens have created a couple of chances looking for the regulation winner.
- An icing with 12 seconds to play will allow the Habs to get their power-play unit on the ice for one last chance.
- Nevermind. They scrubbed out the icing. Don’t want the game to end that way.
- Shots were 16-6 in the period as the Rangers tried — and failed — to protect their one-goal lead.
Overtime
- Dobes makes a huge glove save on an onrushing Ranger.
- Then a huge pad save on a one-timer.
- An excellent give-and-go between Guhle and Laine creates the winner, and the Bell Centre roof comes off.
- What a game from the Habs, fighting through some bad officiating, bad luck, and a couple of deficits to take a major two points from a fellow playoff hopeful. They win 5-4 in overtime.
- Back at it on Tuesday versus the Tampa Bay Lightning in another big game. But who starts in net?
EOTP 3 Stars
3) Can’t even maintain the same standard from one shift to the next
2) We’ve seen it every night for 46 games now and it’s stick awe-inspiring
1) Gave him a couple free ones, still got the win
