WINNIPEG-- Max Pacioretty scored a power-play goal with 1:53 remaining in overtime to give the Montreal Canadiens a 5-4 win against the Winnipeg Jets at Bell MTS Place on Saturday.
WATCH: [All Canadiens vs. Jets highlights] Jets defenseman Tyler Myers took a cross-checking penalty with 3:06 left. Alex Galchenyuk passed to Pacioretty in the slot and he scored on Montreal's 50th shot of the game. The Canadiens trailed 4-2 in the third period. "From past experience just this year, too many times we maybe felt sorry for ourselves, felt like there was nothing we could do," Pacioretty said. "But the energy on the bench, the things guys were saying, the support guys were able to give each other and how we were rolling the lines and keep them in their zone. There were some shifts where I thought we tired out their top guys, and that goes a long way and gives you a chance to come back in the game." Tomas Plekanec scored at 8:17 to make it 4-3. Jeff Petry then tied it 4-4 with a point shot at 15:16. "We had the momentum going our way," Canadiens forward Andrew Shaw said. "Being down 4-2 in the third and capitalizing and coming back just shows the character of this team."
Shaw scored twice for the Canadiens (5-8-1). Al Montoya made 19 saves playing in place of injured Carey Price (lower body). "They were great," Jets forward Blake Wheeler said. "They were all over the puck. They have a smaller team, but they're incredibly quick. They're on every puck. They're a desperate group over there trying to get their season turned around." Patrik Laine, Andrew Copp, Nikolaj Ehlers and Wheeler scored for Winnipeg (7-3-3), who went 3-for-3 on the power play. Connor Hellebuyck made 45 saves. Laine scored his sixth, and second power-play goal in as many games, at 10:44 of the first period for a 1-0 lead. He took advantage of a loose puck after Wheeler lost it skating into the slot and scored on a wrist shot. Shaw tipped Jonathan Drouin's point shot past Hellebuyck on the power play at 19:18 to tie it 1-1.
Shaw scored his second on the power play to make it 2-1 at 2:55 of the second period. Hellebuyck had the puck in his glove briefly, but Shaw was able to dislodge it and score his third of the season. "We weren't real good tonight," Jets coach Paul Maurice said. "Our goalie was great, got us a point. We weren't real quick." Copp tied it 2-2 at 17:16 of the second after Brandon Tanev stole the puck from Canadiens defenseman Victor Mete behind Montoya. Ehlers gave the Jets a 3-2 lead with a wrist shot that beat Montoya short side over his blocker on the power play at 4:25 of the third period. Wheeler rushed down the left side before cutting toward the net and deking past Montoya at 6:39 of the third period on the power play for the 4-2 lead.
Goal of the game
Pacioretty's power-play goal at 3:07 of overtime.
Save of the game
Montoya's helmet save on Dustin Byfuglien at 17:59 of the third period.
Highlight of the game
Wheeler's goal at 6:39 on the power play in the third period.
They said it
"Even if we were down by a couple of goals, I really felt we deserved better. Our guys felt that way and we didn't abandon and worked their way back into the game. These are the kind of games you're happy that you get the right ending for what you thought your team deserved. I really felt we were the team that deserved to win tonight." -- Canadiens coach Claude Julien
"They got so many lucky bounces and I thought we deserved the win. We scored four goals and I felt we were playing good as a team. They were getting a lot of shots, but that's just their style. They just got those lucky breaks. You don't see that too often, but we're going to try to put this behind us and move on." -- Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck
Need to know
Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher had an assist for a four-game point streak (three goals, three assists). … Montreal has 21 goals in its past four games. … Wheeler has nine points (four goals, five assists) in his past four games.
What's next
Canadiens: At the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, NBCSCH, RDS, NHL.TV) Jets: At the Dallas Stars on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; FS-SW, TSN3, NHL.TV)
