In a heart-pounding comeback at Madison Square Garden, the New York Rangers overcame a 3-0 first-period hole to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 in overtime on Saturday night.
J.T. Miller played the hero, netting two goals including the power-play winner at 2:56 of the extra frame, snapping a three-game losing streak for the Blueshirts and improving their record to 16-13-4. The Canadiens, who dropped their third game in four outings to fall to 16-11-4, couldn’t hold onto their early lead despite a strong start.
The game began with Montreal dominating, scoring on their first three shots to build a commanding 3-0 advantage midway through the opening period. Zack Bolduc opened the scoring at 12:41, redirecting a pass from Nick Suzuki for his seventh goal of the season. Arber Xhekaj followed with his first of the year at 14:10, a wrist shot from the blue line, before Jake Evans made it 3-0 at 16:18 with a snap shot. But the Rangers woke up late in the frame. Noah Laba pulled one back on the power play at 18:49, assisted by Will Cuylle and Conor Sheary, marking New York’s first tally. Just 19 seconds later, Artemi Panarin converted a penalty shot—his first career goal of that type—beating Jacob Fowler to the blocker side after being hooked on a breakaway, closing the gap to 3-2 heading into the intermission.
The second period saw more fireworks. Josh Anderson restored Montreal’s two-goal cushion at 3:17 with a slap shot assisted by Lane Hutson and Suzuki, making it 4-2. However, the Rangers responded in rapid fashion. Cuylle notched his ninth of the season at 7:22 with a wrist shot from behind the goal line that banked off Fowler, assisted by Matthew Robertson and Laba. Then, at 7:58, Miller tied it at 4-4 with a backhand rebound goal, his first of the night, set up by Robertson and Sheary.
The third period turned into a defensive stalemate, with no goals despite opportunities on both sides. A potential go-ahead tally by Rangers forward Sam Carrick at 5:51 was waved off after video review confirmed he had kicked the puck into the net. Regulation ended deadlocked at 4-4, forcing overtime.
In the extra session, Montreal’s Jake Evans took a slashing penalty at 2:29, setting up New York’s power play. Miller capitalized just 27 seconds later, one-timing a pass from Mika Zibanejad for the game-winner, assisted also by Vincent Trocheck. It was Miller’s ninth goal of the season and a fitting cap to the Rangers’ resilient performance.
Igor Shesterkin earned the win for New York, making 13 saves on 17 shots. Fowler took the loss for Montreal, stopping 21 of 26 shots. The Rangers outshot the Canadiens 26-17 overall and went 2-for-3 on the power play, while Montreal failed to convert their lone man-advantage opportunity. Faceoffs were close, with New York winning 27 of 49.
Standout performers included Miller with his multi-goal effort, Panarin with his clutch penalty-shot strike, and Robertson and Sheary each tallying two assists for the Rangers. For Montreal, Suzuki and Hutson each dished out two assists, while their four goal-scorers provided early firepower that ultimately wasn’t enough.
The evening also featured a pre-game ceremony honoring Rangers alumni from the 1970s and ’80s, including Hall of Famer Brad Park and Swedish stars Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson, adding a nostalgic touch to the victory.
Rangers next game is Monday night vs Anaheim. The return of Chris Kreider.
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