MONTREAL — After the Montreal Canadiens scored two goals and came back to take a 3-2 shootout win over the Devils in New Jersey Friday, the tables turned at the Bell Centre Saturday.
Devils captain Patrik Elias, playing in his third game of the season, started a rally with a goal scored 11:01 into the third period. Kyle Palmieri tied the game with 22 seconds left in the frame. And John — the Devils call him “Wolfie” — Moore finished this one off 2:31 into overtime.
“We stuck to the game plan that we were hoping was going to work,” said Devils forward Mike Cammalleri. “It took longer than we hoped for, but we got the two points we really needed.”
The win gave New Jersey points 25 and 26 on the season, placing them in fifth place in the Metropolitan Division — currently one point out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
As for the Canadiens, they picked up one point to improve their record to 18-4-3 (39 points) and maintain a one-point lead over the Dallas Stars for first place overall in the NHL.
What did we learn from this game?
Adam Henrique came to play
It’s a game of details, and Henrique paid attention to help tie and win it for New Jersey.
The Devils had lost the faceoff on the tying goal, but Henrique jumped on the puck before the Canadiens did, sending it back to the point before Moore found Palmieri for the shot that beat Mike Condon.
And Henrique’s decision to pass to Moore on the game-winner was unpredictable and brilliant.
“He made a big [contribution],” said Devils coach John Hynes. “Players that are in those situations have to make big plays at key times, and Adam’s been one of those guys for us this year. He was a big reason we were able to come back and tie the game and that’s the role he’s in and good to be able to see him execute again.”
Condon deserved better
He made 28 saves and appeared to be in full control, but he blamed himself for the game-tying goal from Palmieri.
But there was more to that goal than Condon’s inability to stop it.
“We won the faceoff, but we were not alert to jump on the loose puck,” said Canadiens coach Michel Therrien.
But Therrien omitted another reason for why that goal came to fruition.
After Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher suffered fractures to two fingers blocking a shot in last Sunday’s 4-2 win over the New York Islanders, Sportsnet’s Michael Grange wrote this compelling piece questioning the value of blocking shots.
With 22 seconds remaining, after losing a faceoff in their own zone, the No. 1 objective for the defending players on the ice was to ensure the puck didn’t get to their net.
Montreal’s Devante Smith-Pelly had a chance to get into Palmieri’s shooting lane, but failed to do so.
There was no questioning the value blocking that shot would’ve provided.
Condon deserved better.
Alex Galchenyuk keeps on rolling
Montreal’s second line centre was under the gun after failing to score a goal in 10 consecutive games.
Galchenyuk nearly won Saturday’s game for Montreal on his own by scoring two goals. It was his fourth straight game with at least a goal, giving him five since Sunday night.
That’s a strong response after such a long slump.
“At the end of the day I expect that from myself,” said Galchenyuk. “I just knew it would be a matter of time to get my momentum going.
“I am happy that I have been chipping in lately, but there’s a lot of work to be done.”
Galchenyuk now has seven goals and 11 assists in 25 games.
You need at least three goals to win
Therrien always says you need at least three goals to win a game, and in 20 of Montreal’s 25 games (including Friday’s 3-2 shootout win — their only shootout win of the season), the Canadiens have managed three or more goals. They’ve won 18 of those games.
The Canadiens failed to score three on Saturday, which makes them 0-5 under those circumstances.
Montreal remains unbeaten in regulation against Eastern Conference teams
Despite the overtime loss against New Jersey, the Canadiens maintained their near-perfect record against Eastern Conference teams (14-0-3).
Next up, Columbus visits Montreal on Tuesday.
