Brendan Gallagher hit the target for the first time in 25 games and the Montreal Canadiens led 1-0 against the New York Rangers after 20 minutes of play, Saturday evening at the Bell Centre.
Gallagher scored with 8:23 left in the first period. He scored his first goal since November 11 by beating Jonathan Quick on the glove side.
The tenacious attacker has at the same time joined Réjean Houle in 36th place in the history of the Canadian with 408 points in the blue-white-red uniform.
The Canadian was the most threatening club during the first period, even if the Rangers had a 14-7 advantage in shots on goal.
Despite everything, Samuel Montembeault was alert in front of the Habs net, notably frustrating Artemi Panarin and Blake Wheeler during a Rangers power play.
Forward Emil Heineman was inserted into the Canadian’s lineup and played a third game with the team this season. He replaced defender Johnathan Kovacevic, while coach Martin St-Louis had decided to return to a conventional formation with 12 attackers and six defenders.
The Canadian will play his next game on Wednesday, when he visits the Philadelphia Flyers. He will host the San Jose Sharks the next day at the Bell Center.
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