The hockey players of Montreal won on the ice of Florida 3:2 after overtime in the night game of the overseas NHL. Slovak forward Juraj Slafkovský contributed to the Canadiens’ triumph with a plus point, spending almost 20 minutes on the ice.
The winning goal was scored by Montreal captain Nick Suzuki, who completed the turnaround from 0:2.
For Montreal, it was the fourth duel of the seven-match trip, during which he scored points in all duels so far. The spectators did not see the first goal until the 51st minute. The Panthers took the lead after Brad Marchand punished Slafkowski for tripping.
VIDEO: Marchand’s goal and reaction Slafkovski
Sam Reinhart made it 2-0 in the 56th minute, but Cole Caufield and Suzuki equalized at the end of regulation time, scoring in the 56th and 59th minutes. Slafkovský was also on the ice for the second goal of the visitors, who also received confidence in overtime.
In it, the Canadiens got to a power play, in which the Slovakian striker started an offensive combination and at the end of it, Suzuki in front of an open goal decided the triumph of Montreal.
VIDEO: Suzuki’s goal
Slafkovský played 19:53 minutes, during which he blocked two shots and scored one hit. He did not register for the Canadian scoring for the first time in four games. Montreal won in the fourth meeting out of the past six.
The Slovak attacker could extend his scoring streak when he created a great chance for Caufield. Tarasov, however, displaced his shot with a puncher on the post.
VIDEO: Slafkovský recorded Caufield, but Tarasov made the save
“I think it was one of our most complex games. We stayed focused even when we were down by two goals. We ended up winning in overtime. I think we were the better team and we deserved to win,” Suzuki said, according to nhl.com.
Marchand extended his streak with a point
Florida forward Marchand extended his hitting streak to nine games. Before the duel with Montreal, he received the award for a thousand points in the regular season of the NHL.
Florida coach Paul Maurice was displeased after the game: “I’ll try to be in a better mood in two days. But I don’t think I’ll be in a better mood tomorrow because I have to take a day off this game.”
The players of Pittsburgh followed up on the victory from Chicago 7:3 and beat the leader of the Eastern Conference from Carolina 5:1 on their own ice. The Hurricanes lost for the first time after two wins.
For goalkeeper Stuart Skinner, who stopped 27 shots from the guests, it was the first victory since the recent exchange from Edmonton. He lost the previous three matches.
Defender Šimon Nemec has been missing from the New Jersey lineup since December 12 due to injury. The Devils fell to Toronto 0-4 and extended their losing streak to four games. The Maple Leafs won the third game out of the last four, and in the inflated table of the Eastern Conference, they tied with New Jersey.
Both teams lose three points for the second wildcard into the playoffs. Toronto goalkeeper Joseph Woll blocked all 33 shots of the guests and achieved the first clean sheet of the season. “I felt good.
I always judge it by how well I do my job and whether I’m thinking about things I can’t control. I handled it well today, so I’m calm,” Woll told nhl.com.
We need players to show a bit more
“Devils” coach Sheldon Keefe was unhappy after the fourth loss in a row, which also highlighted one of his team’s problems – scoring goals. New Jersey is the weakest of the Eastern Conference in this indicator (together with the NY Rangers).
“We need players to show a little bit more. If we can’t score, then we have to put more competitiveness and fight into the game.
You always have to show that we’re working to find a way to win,” Keefe said. He only praised captain Nic Hischier for a fight with Matthew Knies in the third period to get the team going. “Do I want our captain and one of our best players to fight when we’re down 0-2 in the third period?
No, I definitely don’t want that, but we need some players to stand up and show emotion, courage, character and step out of their comfort zone. I like that Nico showed that today and I hope it reflects positively on the rest of the team,” said Keefe. Toronto won without offensive leaders Auston Matthews and William Nylander.
The Chicago hockey players lost to the New York Islanders 2:3 after overtime and separate raids. It was their eighth loss from the past nine games.
In regular time, they were able to equalize from 0:2 to 2:2, but Bo Horvat, who was the only one to succeed in separate raids, decided the guests’ triumph.
The Islanders won at the opponent’s rink for the first time after four losses.
VIDEO: Horvat’s winning run
Philidelphia coach Rick Tocchet had a successful return to Vancouver, which he led for the past three seasons. His current charges defeated the Canucks 6-3 and achieved their third victory in the past four games.
In the inflated table of the Eastern Conference, they consolidated their current 3rd place in the Metropolitan Division. Vancouver is in second-to-last place in the Western Conference, one point ahead of Winnipeg, who have played two games less.
NHL – Tuesday, December 30:
Florida Panthers – Montreal Canadiens 2:3 pp (0:0, 2:2, 0:0 – 0:1)
Goals: 51. Marchand (Bennett, Jones), 56. Reinhart (Luostarinen, Lundell) – 56. Caufield (Hutson, Dobson), 59. Suzuki (Demidov, Caufield), 64. Suzuki (Hutson, Dobson).
Goalkeepers: Tarasov – Montembeault, shots on goal: 30:29.
Pittsburgh Penguins – Carolina Hurricanes 5:1 (3:0, 2:1, 0:0)
Goals: 4. Crosby (Rakell, Rust), 17. Brazeau (Kulak), 18. Fear (Rust, Karlsson), 36. Novak (Wotherspoon, Karlsson), 39. Fear (Brazeau, Novak) – 39. Jankowski (Nyström, Reilly).
Goalkeepers: Skinner – Andersen, shots on goal: 28:28.
Toronto Maple Leafs – New Jersey Devils 4:0 (1:0, 1:0, 2:0)
Goals: 15. McMann (Robertson), 35. Roy (McMann, Robertson), 47. Jarnkrok (Lorentz), 58. Knies (Tavares, Roy).
Goalkeepers: Woll – Markström, shots on goal: 30:33.
Chicago Blackhawks – New York Islanders 2:3 pp a sn (0:2, 2:0, 0:0 – 0:0, 0:1)
Goals: 36. The Treatment (Moore, Levsunov), 40. Moore, Greene) – 3. Ritchie (Holmström, Shabanov), 13. Horves (Barzal, Schairer), Rozh. sn Horvat.
Goalkeepers: Knight – Rittich, shots on goal: 19:21.
Vancouver Canucks – Philadelphia Flyers 3:6 (1:1, 0:2, 1:3)
Goals: 4. Kämpf (O’Connor, M. Pettersson), 42. O’Connor (Kämpf), 59. Willander – 13. Cates (Mičkov, Brink), 24. Grundström (Grebjonkin, Sanhneim), 37. Konecny (Drysdale, Zegras), 42. Brink (Mičkov, Cates), 58. Tippett (Abols, Ristolainen), 60. Dvorak (Zegras, Konecny).
Goalkeepers: Demko – Vladař, shots on goal: 35:33.
NHL tables
Western Conference:
