Nick Suzuki scored two goals, including the game-winner 3:24 into overtime, as the Montreal Canadiens rallied to defeat the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Tuesday night in Sunrise, Fla.
Montreal trailed 2-0 with less than five minutes left in regulation, but Cole Caufield scored with 4:27 left. Suzuki scored with 1:22 remaining after the Canadiens pulled goalie Sam Montembeault for an extra attacker.
In overtime, Florida’s Brad Marchand was penalized for roughing former Panthers defenseman Mike Matheson. At the 3:06 mark, Suzuki nearly ended the game as his shot hit the crossbar. Just 18 seconds later, Suzuki made sure not to miss as he took a pass from Lane Hutson and fired into the open left side of the net.
Montembeault made 28 saves to earn the win against his former team. It was his first game since Dec. 9 and his first win since Nov. 28.
Florida got goals from Marchand and Sam Reinhart. Backup goalie Daniil Tarasov made 26 saves.
Reinhart’s goal was his third in two games. Marchand, who was honored prior to the game for earning career point No. 1,000 on Nov. 13, owns a nine-game point streak.
The Canadiens are 4-0-2 over their last six games while Florida sits 9-3-1 over its past 13.
Through two scoreless periods, each team had 17 shots on goal.
Finally, after getting eight shots on their first three power plays, the Panthers took advantage of a tripping penalty on Juraj Slafkovsky.
Mackie Samoskevich drew that call and, just 23 seconds later, Marchand scored with 9:42 remaining in the third. On the play, Marchand skated all the way around the net, came back to the high slot and finally shot the puck, beating Montembeault’s blocker.
The Panthers extended their lead to 2-0 on Reinhart’s shot from just outside the right circle. The puck floated past Montembeault, who appeared fooled.
Montreal got on the board 32 seconds later on a brilliant piece of stick-handling by Caulfield as he skated past Niko Mikkola. Just prior to that Caulfield move, Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad was picked to free up Montreal’s shooter.
Suzuki tied the score on a play that started when Ekblad and Tarasov had a miscommunication as to who would handle the puck behind the net. That led to Ivan Demidov passing from behind Florida’s net to Suzuki, who scored from the right circle.
–Field Level Media
