Rangers Rally Late to Stun Red-Hot Canadiens in Montreal Thriller
Another Original Six matchup for the history books, and boy, did it not disappoint. Starting the season off red hot, the Montreal Canadiens proved to be legit against New York. As always, the Blueshirts looked to rebound after another brutal loss. No matter the score of this game, fans were blessed with one of the most entertaining nights of hockey so far this season. Montreal was fast, but New York stuck with them and extinguished the red-hot Habs with a 4-3 win in Montreal.
The puck dropped, and New York immediately found itself playing from behind once again. A little mishap in the offensive zone led to a quick odd-man rush for Montreal, leading to Juraj Slafkovsky making it 1-0 Montreal. A rough start got even worse as Montreal went on the power play, with a pretty pass giving Nick Suzuki his first of the season with a power play goal. It was all Montreal, and New York couldn't seem to get anything going.
A shaky first start for New York, but they get themselves back in the game with a pretty one. A power play for the Rangers leads to Mika Zibanejad rocketing a one-timer past Sam Montembeault to make it 2-1. That goal alone gave fans hope that the old Zibanejad is still in there somewhere, as long as the shooting mentality is still there. Much like their previous games, New York looked to progress as the first period went on, but the score remained 2-1 Montreal going into the second.
Heading into the second, Montreal kept its foot on the gas with some good chances, but Jonathan Quick stayed locked in. A much more even period to begin the second, as New York picked up the physicality. Close chances game for the Rangers to tie this game up, but Montembeault and the post kept Montreal in front. Montreal continues with some fast hockey, but desperate plays by New York kept the score the same.
New York fans can admit it's been quite challenging to watch Artemi Panarin, who still has yet to get his first of the season. As the second period came to an end, New York went back on the power play, and a golden chance came for Panarin to net his first. A lovely pass from Alexis Lafreniere left a wide-open net for Panarin, who fired it wide, keeping Montreal in front going into the third. Fans already have it rough as Panarin enters his potential final season as a New York Ranger; it'd be a shame if his last year with the Blueshirts were quite depressing.
With twenty remaining, New York began the third period still on the power play, and boy did they make the most of it. Bodies in front of the net led to a tip by J.T. Miller to tie it at two, what a start of the final period. Montreal soon found itself playing on its heels as the Rangers finally seemed to find their footing. Some pressure in the Montreal zone led to Matthew Robertson getting his first NHL goal to give New York the lead. As the period went on, New York didn't stop there.
Fans have long awaited, and at last, they see Artemi Panarin deliver. With plenty of room, Panarin rang one off the post and in to give New York a 4-2 lead. The game was far from over, though, as Noah Dobson responded for the Canadiens and brought them within one; this was a battle. The Montreal net eventually emptied, and New York battled for that last minute. Montreal fans were left stunned as New York completed the third-period comeback and shut down the red-hot Habs 4-3.
Montreal has been red hot to start the season, so a win like this can really give New York some momentum. A great night as New York stayed with it after a rough start and turned the momentum. Big goals from their top six, perhaps it'll finally get them going. Montreal stays home to face Buffalo, while New York returns home against Minnesota. Overall, both teams battled hard and delivered possibly the most entertaining game so far this season.
