The Canadiens celebrate a 3-2 overtime win over the Rangers in Game 3 courtesy of hero Alex Galcheynuk.
AP Photo/Kathy Willens

The Canadiens are back in the series. Alex Galchenyuk’s goal at 1:12 of overtime won Game 3 to send Montreal to a 3-2 win over the Rangers at a stunned MSG. The second-year Hab drove the net and had Tomas Plekanec’s rebound deflect off him and in sending his team to a well deserved victory. They now trail the Eastern Conference Final two games to one. Game 4 is Sunday and now looms large. The winner will have all the momentum.

Montreal won despite getting dominated in a lopsided first period that saw them outshot 14-4. Fired up by an undetected cheap shot from Brandon Prust on Derek Stepan, the Rangers outskated and out chanced their opponent by a country mile. Wanting to avenge the hit, they finished every check and played with edge. There was also truculence with Derek Dorsett going after Prust but losing badly in a scrap. During the same scrum, an incensed Daniel Carcillo went overboard on an iffy charge by elbowing the referee. He deservedly was kicked out and faces league discipline. He will either serve a one-game ban or three for his stupidity.

By the same token, you have to wonder what refs Marc Joanette, Kevin Pollock and Wes McCauley were thinking. Somehow, they and the two linesmen didn’t see Prust come across and deliver a dangerous blindside hit to Stepan that easily could’ve resulted in a serious injury. Luckily, Stepan returned and played with anger delivering a big hit on Alexei Emelin. The same crew later missed a blatant Montreal bench minor but also missed an obvious Ryan McDonagh slash on Brendan Gallagher, who went to the box for interference. While the officiating was touchy with also an offside on the Rangers missed, that’s not why they lost. The bottom line is they gave a dangerous opponent life. Now, it’s a series.

Canadiens’ goalie Dustin Tokarski makes one of his 35 saves to help lift his team to a Game 3 victory. The Rangers lead the series 2-1.
AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Credit must go out to Dustin Tokarski. After coach Michel Therrien showed a lot of confidence in him, he rewarded him with a clutch performance finishing with 35 saves. That included several big stops with his team hanging on by a thread. He was the difference outperforming Henrik Lundqvist (21 saves). Lundqvist actually looked human allowing Andrei Markov to tie the game with an unscreened shot. He also had a bit of bad luck for a change with the Habs’ last two goals taking unfavorable bounces. Maybe P.K. Subban knew something. Outside of that, he was quiet.

It started out promising for the home side. After getting all sorts of chances, the Rangers finally took a 1-0 lead when a sliding Hagelin blocked a Subban point shot and broke in two-on-one. Patiently waiting for trailer Martin St. Louis, he fed across for a St. Louis one-timer that a diving Josh Gorges saved. But Hagelin came back for the rebound escaping a weak Thomas Vanek back check for the first goal at 15:18.

Markov tied it up 3:20 into the second. Following a close call at the other end, he took a Max Pacioretty cross-ice feed and beat Lundqvist from the right circle. Gallagher helped set it up earning a secondary assist. Back even, the Habs started to turn the tide. Using their speed, they began to escape Ranger checks and test Lundqvist. In particular, Gallagher and Pacioretty were dangerous along with David Desharnais. Lundqvist stopped eight of nine.

While the play was more even, the Rangers certainly had their chances. They got 13 more shots on Tokarski but he stayed cool throughout. He did a good job taking away the low part of the net. He allowed rebounds but his team defense protected him. There was also a sliding save on St. Louis later that was at the top of the list. Outside of Chris Kreider, who eventually forced sudden death, the Blueshirts didn’t get enough traffic. They also weren’t able to go high on him. An adjustment that must be made when the series resumes.

There weren’t many penalties called despite protests from both benches. They nabbed Stepan for a hooking minor which got a angry look. Who could blame him? For a third straight game, the Rangers penalty kill got the job done killing both Montreal power plays. They’re now 0-for-9. On the Ranger side, they went 0-for-2 despite getting some looks. On one, they didn’t take advantage of a broken stick only managing one shot. There was the controversial call on Gallagher which got plenty of gripes from Therrien.

The third was tentatively played. Montreal played looser and it showed. For over half a period, they limited the Rangers to three shots. Not nearly enough against a hot goalie. The Canadiens were quietly getting better quality chances forcing Lundqvist to make some difficult saves. It was following a dominant shift from Stepan’s line with Kreider and Rick Nash that the Habs struck in transition. Following a Lundqvist stop on Rene Bourque, he denied Vanek. But Vanek stayed with it behind the net leading to an odd goal from Danny Briere, who wisely banked the puck off McDonagh’s skate to give Montreal a 2-1 lead with 3:02 left in regulation.

Chris Kreider celebrates his tying goal late in regulation that sent Game 3 to overtime.
AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Urged on by a too quiet crowd who seemed nervous, the Rangers pulled Lundqvist and found a way to tie it. After he went to the bench with under 90 seconds to go, they really pressed the action. Tokarski made some big saves but was blameless when Kreider managed to deflect a Girardi shot off Emelin and in at 19:31 sending MSG into bedlam. They nearly ended it on the next shift. With Therrien only playing with five defensemen, his team looked tired and barely managed to get it to OT.

In sudden death following a Ranger cycle, Plekanec took a Brian Gionta feed and gained the Ranger zone. Holding onto the puck, he patiently waited before firing a wrister from the left circle which Lundqvist got a piece of. However, an unchecked Galchenyuk had the good fortune of the puck bouncing off his chest and in for the game-winner only 72 seconds into overtime. That could be a series shifter.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Carl Hagelin, NYR (goal-5th, 5 SOG in 26 shifts-17:16-the only consistent forward. Where was everyone else?)

2nd Star-Alex Galchenyuk, MTL (scored winner at 1:12 of OT-1st of playoffs, +1 in 23 shifts-15:13-speedy winger drove net)

1st Star-Dustin Tokarski, MTL (35 saves incl. 13/14 in 1st, 13/13 in 2nd, 8/9 in 3rd, 1 save in OT-kid stole the show on Broadway)