VAN@MTL: Game Recap

MONTREAL - The Canadiens were edged 3-2 in overtime on Friday night at the Bell Centre.

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It was the Habs' first home game since March 6.
Before the action got underway, the team paid tribute to head equipment manager Pierre Gervais, who recently worked his 3,000th game.

Goaltender Jake Allen started for Montreal. It was the 300th game of his NHL career.

Right-winger Corey Perry opened the scoring for the Canadiens at the 4:20 mark of the first period, lighting the lamp on the power play.
Perry was the beneficiary of a Jeff Petry point blast that hit the post and was loose in the crease behind Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko.

It was the sixth goal of the season for the 35-year-old Peterborough, ON native.
Tomas Tatar also collected an assist on the play.
Allen was tested during the opening frame, but he turned aside all 11 shots he faced.
One of those saves included this sprawling effort to keep Vancouver off the scoreboard.

The Canadiens took their 1-0 lead into the dressing room after 20 minutes.
Just 2:25 into the second period, centerman Adam Gaudette tied things up for the Canucks, tipping a pass from Antoine Roussel past Allen.

It was Gaudette's fourth goal of the season, and his first since March 8 against the Canadiens at Rogers Arena.
The Canucks took a 2-1 lead only 4:12 later when left-winger Nils Höglander re-directed a feed from defenseman Nate Schmidt that beat Allen.

It was Höglander's sixth goal of the season.
That's the way things stood after 40 minutes. Both teams had 21 shots apiece at this point.
The Canadiens were looking to battle back in the final frame.

It took a while, but centerman Nick Suzuki beat Demko with a wrist shot from the top of the circle with 56.3 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the contest 2-2.
It was Suzuki's sixth goal of the season, and the Canadiens' second power play tally of the night.

Petry picked up his second helper of the game on Suzuki's first marker since February 27.
He'd gone nine straight games without finding the back of the net.
Unfortunately, Canucks centerman J.T. Miller scored the game-winner in overtime with a highlight-reel individual effort to give Vancouver the victory.

Allen finished the game with 25 saves.
The Canadiens will be back in action on Saturday night when they play host to the Canucks again at the Bell Centre.