I stand corrected. I'll admit it. After the Tampa Bay Lightning scored two goals only 21 seconds apart, I had a feeling I knew what was coming, but I was wrong.
The Montreal Canadiens finally ended their six-game losing streak by winning in a nail-biter at the Amalie Arena by a score of 4-3. A shootout was required as 3-on-3 overtime was insufficient in determining the outcome of the game. I must say, I'm a huge fan of the new overtime system that the NHL has implemented this year. The players in tonight's extra time opted for a conservative approach up until the last minute and a half of play, where speed and skill took over before being backstopped by two focused goalies in Ben Bishop and Mike Condon.
The latter might not have looked good on the first two goals, but he more than compensated for his lacklustre performance by pulling off his best Carey Price imitations in multiplying great saves en route to earning himself third star honours. He ended his night on a high note with 36 saves to his name.
Kudos to head coach Michel Therrien for sending Max Pacioretty as the third shooter to seal the deal for a struggling Habs team. What a way for the captain to make a statement, especially that up until that moment, he and his line mate David Desharnais both had very ordinary evenings. Based on the players' celebrations and the huge smiles on their faces, you could tell that it's a victory that will boost the team's confidence heading into tomorrow night's game against the Florida Panthers. They are now only 1 point behind the Habs in the Atlantic Division with two games in hand.
Mark Barberio and Greg Pateryn had a very solid outing together. Barberio replaced Alexei Emelin in the lineup and almost scored, and overall impressed with his good first tape-to-tape passes.
The biggest relief, besides earning themselves two very valuable points in a very important week of their season, was the contribution they got from their veterans. Tomas Plekanec and Alex Galchenyuk both scored beautiful goals on excellent passing plays, while David Desharnais served up a precise behind-the-net pass to Dale Weise who was parked in front of Bishop's net and scored the equalizer. Andrei Markov and P.K. Subban both added their names to the scoresheet as well, and Tomas Plekanec scored for the first time since November 7th. There was good cheer and loud music all around the locker room according to Therrien's post game remarks.
Check back soon for my preview of the Canadiens-Panthers matchup!