Fans of the Montreal Canadiens who dream of Connor Bedard would have hoped for a different result at the game between the Florida Panthers and the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.
• Read also: An excellent evening for CH hopes
The Panthers rallied from a two-goal deficit to win 4-3 in overtime. Defenseman Brandon Montour played the heroes.
It’s a doubly disappointing result for CH, which holds Team Florida’s first-round pick and rivals the “Hawks” in the National Hockey League basement for the best odds in view of the repechage lottery.
The CH has eight points more than the Blackhawks, with 17 games to play on the schedule.
Despite their three straight wins, Paul Maurice’s men are still outside the playoff picture in the East. They are two points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins, despite having played two more games.
Matthew Tkachuk was an integral part of the hosts’ comeback in this duel presented at the FLA Live Arena. He teamed up with Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart and Eetu Luostarinen in the second half to make it 3-2.
Rookie Cole Guttman, however, forced overtime by jumping on a loose puck with 45 seconds left in the third period. Caleb Jones and Boris Katchouk had previously threaded the needle for Luke Richardson’s troupe.
In overtime, Montour hit a bouncing puck between the pads of Petr Mrazek to give the victory to his team.
The Czech veteran still stood out with 39 saves in defeat.
Comtois and Gibson frustrate the Flames
At Saddledome Arena, goaltender John Gibson was once again left to his own devices, but he muzzled the Calgary Flames in a 3-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
The American porter leads the Bettman circuit with 1,517 saves this season. This time he stood in front of 34 of 35 shots by the Alberta team, which had just savored two consecutive victories.
By the same token, Gibson passed Guy Hebert for the most saves in Ducks history, with 11,835.
The Flames had however opened the mark thanks to Mikael Backlund, in the second period. The Swedish veteran deflected a shot from his compatriot Elias Lindholm, on the power play.
The Ducks were quick to respond. Less than a minute later, Quebecer Maxime Comtois ricocheted a shot to tie the game.
The Longueuillois is experiencing another difficult campaign in California. However, he collected a 14th point, later in the second period, by preparing the winning goal, scored by Brett Leason.
Derek Grant completed the mark.