Carey Price went from frustration to joy in a matter of minutes as the Montreal Canadiens narrowly held on to a win.
Despite giving up a two-goal lead late in the third period, Tomas Tatar scored in the fourth round of the shootout to secure a 5-4 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday night.
Vegas forced overtime with two goals in the final two minutes after pulling goalie Marc-Andre Fleury for an extra skater. Price was visibly upset after Reilly Smith scored the equalizer with just 8 seconds left in regulation, smashing his stick in frustration.
However, after a fast-paced overtime, Price redeemed himself with a crucial pad save on Smith in the fourth shootout round to clinch the victory. Price celebrated with his teammates in relief and excitement.
“It was important for (Price) to win that game,” said Montreal coach Claude Julien. “Even though it wasn’t pretty, it was exciting, and we’ll take the two points.”
In his return to Montreal, Max Pacioretty sparked Vegas’ late rally with a goal from the blue line with 1:57 left in regulation, followed by Smith’s game-tying goal on a tip from Paul Stastny’s shot.
“Vegas was really pushing hard at the end,” Price said, crediting his teammates for responding well in overtime and finding a way to win in the shootout. Price made 31 saves, earning his fourth straight win.
Nick Cousins led Montreal with two goals, while Ilya Kovalchuk and Joel Armia added one each for the Canadiens (22-21-7), who have won four of their last five games.
For the Golden Knights (25-20-6), Jonathan Marchessault, Stastny, Pacioretty, and Smith found the back of the net. Fleury stopped 28 shots in the loss, which was the second game for Vegas under new coach Peter DeBoer.
“We’re getting off to slow starts, and it’s tough to keep coming back,” said Smith, who has 20 goals this season.
Despite trailing 4-2 late in the game, Vegas clawed back with two quick goals to force overtime. Fleury made several key saves during overtime, keeping the Golden Knights in the game.
Montreal took a 3-0 lead early, scoring on just nine shots in the first period. Cousins opened the scoring, followed by Kovalchuk’s first home goal in a Canadiens uniform since 2011. Armia added a third goal, giving the Canadiens a comfortable lead.
Vegas responded in the second period, with Marchessault and Stastny scoring to cut the lead to 3-2. Cousins extended Montreal’s lead in the third period, but Vegas fought back with two goals in the final minutes, ultimately sending the game to a shootout.
“We’ve been playing well recently,” said Price. “We just need to carry this momentum after the break.”
Game Notes:
- The Golden Knights have now gone 1-4-1 in their last six games.
- Pacioretty remains winless against his former team (0-1-2).
- This was Montreal’s final game before their bye week.
- The Canadiens are 10-12-4 at home this season.
UP NEXT:
- Vegas: At Carolina on Jan. 31.
- Montreal: Hosts Washington on Monday, Jan. 27.