The Montreal Canadiens took their act to Broadway on Saturday, where penalty trouble cost them a 4-3 defeat to the New York Rangers.
The Montreal Canadiens played a rare early afternoon contest on Saturday, taking their act to Broadway. They fell to a banged-up New York Rangers team 4-3, with the home squad securing the win with three power-play goals.
Overall, the Canadiens played good hockey from start to finish, but ill-advised penalties cost them. They allowed the Rangers to snap a five-game losing streak and regain their mojo, even if it was just for one game.
The visitors, who head to Boston for a Sunday meeting, rallied from two goals down in the third period but couldn't keep pace on special teams.
The Power Play Giveth and Taketh Away
The Canadiens have a solid power play, led by Cole Caufield, who has a team-leading seven goals on the man advantage. However, on Saturday afternoon, they went 0-for-3 and gave up three power-play goals to the Rangers, surrendering the game-winner with just 22 seconds left on a Kirby Dach double minor penalty.
Heading into the game, Montreal had killed off 84.4% of their penalties in the month but imploded at Madison Square Garden, allowing a team on the ropes to find a new lease on life thanks to special teams.
Considering the Rangers played on Friday and were drowning in a five-game losing streak, the Canadiens didn't have the killer instinct; instead, they couldn't stay out of the box, their biggest problem on Saturday.
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Canadiens Leaders Rally Team in Third
The Rangers were the best team in the NHL last season, but they have been anything but this year. Previously, a two-goal lead against New York would have been insurmountable, but Montreal's leaders stepped up in the third and rallied their team to a 3-3 tie.
Caufield netted a goal for the third straight game, while captain Nick Suzuki found the back of the net for the second time in as many games. Although they didn't need special teams for any of their goals, New York was exposed on several occasions, and the Canadiens' best players used that to their advantage to make a 3-1 game quite interesting in the final minutes.
Even though a late goal cost them the game, Montreal didn't get blown out like the previous meeting in October and hung in with a projected Stanley Cup contender. Their efforts start and end with Caufield and Suzuki, who continue to forge the way forward for the young Canadiens.
Montembeault Can't Stop What He Can't See
There will be a small population of Canadiens fans who could blame Sam Montembeault for Saturday's loss, but on two of the Rangers power-play goals, he gave up two shots that he never saw.
Whether it's defensive coverage or elite snipers picking corners, Montembeault is not to blame for the latest Montreal setback. Even on the game-winner, he was left alone to face two uncovered Rangers players, including Kappo Kakko, who buried the winner with just seconds left.
A goalie can only do so much, and outside of surrendering three power-play goals, Montembeault was solid all game long and kept a highly potent offense in check. If his teammates could have stayed out of the box, the Canadiens would have walked away with a 3-1 win.
