MTL@NYR: Game recap

NEW YORK - The Canadiens came out on top in a tug-of-war matchup to beat the Rangers 4-3 in their final road game of the season at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

SHOP: Canadiens locker room structured meshback cap
The Rangers held a moment of silence for Lafleur, who played 67 games for them in 1988-89, recording 18 goals and 27 assists with New York.

Sam Montembeault got the start in goal, while Ryan Poehling drew in for Mathieu Perreault. He centered the fourth line between Michael Pezzetta and Laurent Dauphin.
It seemed like the teams would skate to a scoreless tie in the first period until Poehling got his ninth of the season on a nifty feed from Pezzetta, who made the delivery from the corner behind Alexandar Georgiev with 1:15 remaining.
William Lagesson also picked up an assist on the play.

The Canadiens headed to the room up 1-0 after the first, although the Rangers outshot them 10-6.
New York evened the score early in the second period. With a delayed penalty to the Canadiens, Ryan Reaves took advantage of some pressure in the Montreal end and shot it through traffic to beat Montembeault and make it a 1-1 game at the 4:14 mark.
Jeff Petry ensured the visitors would once again take a one-goal lead back to the locker room, although he waited for the last minute to do so - literally. Christian Dvorak sent the puck along the end boards towards Petry, who picked his spot with pinpoint precision from the faceoff circle and beat Georgiev with nine seconds to go in the period.
Dvorak and Josh Anderson got the assists.

New York outshot Montreal 10-4 in the middle frame.
The Blueshirts tied things up at 4:15 of the final stanza. Barclay Goodrow took advantage of a turnover in the neutral zone and sent it to Frank Vatrano, who beat Montembeault to his right to make it a 2-2 game.
Mike Hoffman gave the Canadiens a go-ahead goal at 12:08 of the third when he accepted a cross-ice feed from Nick Suzuki and wristed it past Georgiev for his 14th of the season.
Suzuki picked up his 60th point of the year on the play, and Joel Edmundson also earned an assist.

But then, Goodrow took advantage of a turnover in the New York end while shorthanded, drove the puck into the Habs' zone and sent it to Ryan Strome, who tied it with 4:19 left in regulation.
Just as he did in the second, however, Petry put the Canadiens ahead late in the period. After Josh Anderson forced a turnover inside the Habs' blue line, Petry took a pass from Dvorak and beat Georgiev with a wrister for his second of the night to seal the deal for Montreal with 31 seconds left in the game.

Montembeault made 24 saves to pick up his eighth win of 2021-22.
The Canadiens play their final game of the season on Friday against the Florida Panthers at the Bell Centre. For tickets,
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