Canadiens win 3rd straight after beating Penguins in OT

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Mike Hoffman scored with 1:03 in overtime to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a 5-4 victory at the Bell Center on Saturday. Kirby Duck set up Hoffman with his 2–1 break to give the Canadiens his third straight win.

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The goal was blisteringly fast to start the third period.

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It was a frustrating night for Cole Caulfield, but it turned around when a shot from the blue line at the 49-second mark took the Canadiens to a 2-2 tie. The goal was contested on grounds of interference, but replays showed Duck’s only interaction was with defenseman Marcus Petterson.

The Penguins killed a penalty resulting from a failed challenge and regained the lead with an Evgeny Malkin goal at 3:19, but Nick Suzuki tied the game again when he scored 10 goals 50 seconds later.

A series of penalties saw the team play 3–3 in the second half of the third period, with Tristan Jarry tying the score when he saved Suzuki with a pad. The Penguins took the lead after 4-3 seconds when Brock McGuinn scored at 14:02, but the Canadiens again showed resilience, with Sean Monaghan scoring a power play goal at 14:42.

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Josh Anderson gave the Canadiens an early lead when he scored at 1:48 of the first period. Jarry saved Monaghan after carrying the puck into the zone and shooting from left field. Defenseman Chad Roewedel spat the puck in the corner, and Anderson circled toward the blue line and shot, but it went inside Jarry’s grabside post.

Despite good pace in the first period, there were few chances to score as Montreal beat Pittsburgh 7-4. The Penguins’ only scoring chance came when Jason Zucker circled Arbor Zekai and unsuccessfully tried to stuff the puck between Jake Allen’s pads.

The Canadiens had the only power play of the period when Sidney Crosby tripped Corfield. Montreal struggled to get into the zone and failed to shoot on goal.

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Former Canadian Jeff Petrie was the star when the momentum shifted to the Penguins early in the second period. Petri drew a tripping penalty from Anderson as the first period ended and scored a power play goal at 1:46 to tie the game.

The Penguins took the lead at 3:29 when Rickard Raquel flipped Petterson’s shot from the blue line.

Montreal made two more power plays in the second period, and the Canadiens stole the last 18 shots of the period to finish with a 26-12 lead, but couldn’t find a way to beat Jarry.

The Canadiens will return to Bell Center on Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils. They travel to Columbus on Thursday, where he caps off the week with his game at home against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.

phickey@postmedia.com

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