(New York) The Canadiens’ efforts once again came up short on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.
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Chris Kreider gave his team a solid lead early in the second period, Igor Shesterkin stopped 31 shots and the New York Rangers beat the Montreal team 3-2.
The Canadian had plenty of offensive chances but came up against Shesterkin. He ended his three-game trip with a 0-2-1 record.
Christian Dvorak had a goal and an assist, while Josh Anderson also hit the target for the Canadian (4-12-2). Cayden Primeau made 31 saves in his first NHL start this season.
Kaapo Kakko and Julien Gauthier were the other scorers for the Rangers (10-3-3), who won a fourth game in a row.
Jonathan Drouin was back in the game for the Canadiens after missing six games with puck damage to the face. Adam Brooks gave him his place in the roster and was even put on waivers.
The Canadiens will return to Montreal on Thursday, when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins.
A familiar result
There wasn’t a lot of action early in the game, but Primeau had to be vigilant when he granted a return to the enclave following a Ryan Reaves shot.
The game was lively when the teams found themselves four against four halfway through the first period. Primeau frustrated Kreider, while Shesterkin made a good save at the expense of Alexander Romanov.
The Rangers finally opened the scoring with 4:14 left in the first frame. Artemi Panarin forced Primeau to move out of his net. His shot was blocked by defender Chris Wideman, but Panarin then joined Kakko in the enclave. The Finn was able to shoot in an empty net.
Artturi Lehkonen was less opportunistic at the end of the first period, being unable to push a free disc into a gaping cage.
The Canadian redeemed himself after 2: 17 of play in the second period. Brendan Gallagher’s relentlessness eventually allowed Dvorak to move the strings with a high shot.
Shesterkin then made a nice save at Drouin’s expense with his mitt.
After a fight between Reaves and Michael Pezzetta, the Rangers regained the lead at 3:50 of the second period. Kreider capped a four-on-two attack by scoring his 12e goal of the season.
The Canadian knocked on the door during a power play around mid-period, but failed to find the back of the net.
Drouin got another good scoring chance late in the second period, but was guilty of a turnaround moments later. The Rangers counterattacked three-on-one, but Primeau came to Drouin’s rescue by frustrating Ryan Strome with his mitt.
The two teams traded a goal in an interval of 22 seconds early in the third period, courtesy of Gauthier and Anderson. Then the Canadian increased the pressure on the Rangers in the hope of creating a tie.
Shesterkin had the last laugh. He made a last tough stop at the expense of Tyler Toffoli with just over a minute to go on the clock.
The Canadiens’ latest efforts were undermined by a gesture of indiscipline from Gallagher, which punched Barclay Goodrow in the face. Anderson also vented frustration after the siren, going after Jacob Trouba.