It was an Original Six Saturday night matchup between the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers at MSG. The Rangers had their own Centennial Night this evening, paying homage to the people who built “The New Garden.” This was an important game for both sides as the teams came in separated by only one point — the Canadiens with 35, and the Rangers with 34.
A Goalscorer’s Game
The Rangers owned the first half of the first period, getting multiple grade-A chances, including two in the first two minutes from Braden Schneider and Mikka Zibanejad. The Canadiens didn’t even have a shot on goal for the first 12 minutes of the game. However, goaltender Jakob Fowler remained poised, bringing the confidence over from his debut. Then, when the first shot of the game came in from the Habs, the floodgates opened. Nick Suzuki set up Zach Bolduc beautifully for his seventh goal of the season to open up the scoring.
A minute and twenty-eight seconds later, Montreal struck again. This time, Arber Xhekaj fired a shot through the screen in front. It was two goals on two shots. Only a few seconds later, the puck found a waiting Suzuki who was sitting in the right circle, and he ripped one off the post. The Canadiens would score again to make it 3-0, with Jake Evans shooting one in top shelf, beating Igor Shesterkin.
The Rangers found their legs again in the latter half of the first, with a power play starting the surge. Noah Laba kicked off the scoring for New York with a scrappy goal on the power play. After the goal, Artemi Panarin broke free on a breakaway and managed to draw a penalty on Noah Dobson, leading to a penalty shot. Panarin doinked the post and past Fowler to make it 3-2 going into the first intermission.
The second period started off with a goal from Josh Anderson making it 4-2 Montreal, but then a pair from Will Cuylle and J.T. Miller tied up the game heading into the final frame. In the third period, Sam Carrick thought he scored a goal to take the 5-4 lead, but it was called back due to a kicking motion. In overtime, Evans committed a penalty, and Miller scored his second goal of the night on a one-timer, winning the game for the Rangers.
What’s Next
The Rangers are now 16-13-4 with 36 points, and the Canadiens are now 16-11-4 with 36 points; both teams are one point out of a wild card spot. The Canadiens host the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday night, and the Rangers are home on Monday night against the Anaheim Ducks.
