The Montreal Canadiens once again pulled off a thrilling late-game comeback against the Vegas Golden Knights, just like they did last season in Vegas.
Brendan Gallagher scored his seventh goal of the season with 1:58 remaining in regulation, and Max Domi netted the game-winner 27 seconds into overtime, lifting the Canadiens to a 5-4 victory on Thursday night.
In a near replay of last year’s matchup, when Montreal scored late and won in overtime, the Canadiens battled back from a 4-2 deficit in the third period.
“The guys never gave up,” Montreal coach Claude Julien said. “We knew it was going to be tough, but the key was sticking with it, and we did a great job of that.”
The Canadiens were playing the second game of a back-to-back following a 4-1 win in Arizona on Wednesday. After trailing 4-2 with goals from Cody Glass and Mark Stone giving Vegas the lead, Montreal mounted an impressive comeback.
Former Golden Knight Tomas Tatar, who was traded to Montreal in exchange for Max Pacioretty, cut the deficit with a rebound goal off a Joel Armia shot.
“When you’re down by two and look at the clock, it’s all about staying mentally strong,” Julien said. “Tatar’s goal gave us momentum.”
Julien pulled goalie Keith Kinkaid with just over two minutes left, and 21 seconds later, Gallagher scored the equalizer on a perfect feed from Armia, tying the game at 4-4.
Domi then secured his fourth goal of the season in overtime, slipping the puck through Marc-Andre Fleury’s pads for the win.
“Whether you call it resilience or character, we showed much of it tonight,” Domi said. “We didn’t play our best hockey early, but good teams find ways to push through. Back-to-backs are tough, and we stayed with it.”
Phillip Danault and Jonathan Drouin also scored for Montreal. Kinkaid made 31 saves, improving his record to 19-20-8 against Western Conference teams.
William Karlsson and Alex Tuch scored for Vegas, and Fleury, who has historically struggled against Montreal, made 25 saves in the loss. Vegas dropped to 0-5-1 this season when allowing four or more goals.
“We can’t give up five goals,” said Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault. “We weren’t there for Fleury or our defense. It’s not good enough.”
The defeat spoiled the return of defenseman Nate Schmidt, who missed 12 games due to injury, and Alex Tuch’s season debut after being sidelined since the preseason.
“I don’t think we played badly,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. “It was good enough to win, but they got some hockey luck at the end.”
Danault scored early in the first period, capitalizing on a rebound from Shea Weber’s shot. The assist marked Weber’s 100th point with Montreal.
Karlsson tied it late in the first, and Tuch gave Vegas a 2-1 lead with his first goal of the season. However, a mistake by Brayden McNabb led to an own goal, credited to Drouin, tying the game at 2-2.
Glass regained the lead for Vegas with his third goal of the season, followed by Stone’s eighth goal of the year. But Montreal’s late-game heroics sealed the win in dramatic fashion.
Game Notes
- Max Pacioretty, who spent 10 seasons with Montreal, recorded his 500th career point with an assist on Stone’s goal.
- Nick Suzuki, a former first-round pick by Vegas, played his first game at T-Mobile Arena for the Canadiens.
Up Next:
- Canadiens: Conclude their three-game road trip in Dallas on Saturday.
- Golden Knights: Host the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.