The Montreal Canadiens entered this game looking to put their last game behind them as they were shut out and lost 3-0 to the New Jersey Devils. It cost them their five-game win streak and also a chance to move into a tie for first place in the Atlantic Division.
On Tuesday night, they were playing the Florida Panthers in a game that, on paper, looked like they should win. However, the Panthers played the Canadiens tough and scored first and took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. The Canadiens would keep finding a way to respond and tie the game up, but the Panthers always took the lead back.
Montreal, though, never gave up and with less than 30 seconds in the third, was able to tie it up with Nick Suzuki scoring the goal to send it to overtime. It was a back-and-forth overtime but both goalies made big saves to force it to a shootout.
In the shootout, it was all Montreal as they scored on both shootout attempts while Jakub Dobes stopped both of the Panthers' attempts to get a much-needed two points and into a three-way tie for the Atlantic Division. These are some of the takeaways from the game on Tuesday night.
Montreal Canadiens shake up lines and pairs for this game against the Panthers
The Montreal Canadiens made some notable changes to their lineup, due in part to players returning, which allowed them to try out different combinations. Most of the changes were on the forward lines as Alexandre Texier and Kirby Dach returned from injuries.
Both players were in against the Panthers as Joe Veleno was out due to the flu, while Brendan Gallagher was a healthy scratch.
In their returns, Texier was on the second line with Alex Newhook and Ivan Demidov, with Newhook at center. This is not overly surprising, as Newhook has been one of the better players on the Canadiens in the faceoff circle as of late.
On the third line, the Canadiens had Kirby Dach on the wing with Jake Evans at center and Zachary Bolduc on the other side. The biggest change was Oliver Kapanen moving from the second line to the fourth line to play with Josh Anderson and Phillip Danault.
Among the defensive pairs, the biggest change was the absence of Kaiden Guhle, which was called just a maintenance day for the defenseman. In his place, Adam Engstrom got the start and was playing in his first game since January 1st after recently being recalled from Laval after Alexandre Carrier's injury.
Ivan Demidov provided a much-needed spark for the Canadiens
The Canadiens struggled to get much going for most of the game, but Ivan Demidov was one of the few bright spots against the Panthers. He had their only goal of the game, but was moving all over the ice, making plays, and even drew three penalties.
Ivan Demidov has been one of the best rookies in the entire NHL this season and leads the league among rookies in points with 61 now. He had five straight games with at least a point before seeing that streak come to an end against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.
Demidov wasted no time starting a new streak and could be a pivotal player in the playoffs for a Canadiens team that will be looking for secondary scoring.
Phillip Danault ends 14-game goal drought while Adam Engstrom records first NHL point
The Montreal Canadiens were able to tie the game in the third period after Phillip Danault scored his first goal since March 10th, a stretch of 14 games between goals. The goal was also notable for defenseman Adam Engstrom, who was playing in his 12th career NHL game, as he recorded an assist on the goal for his first career NHL point.
Cole Caufield fails to score a goal for the third straight game
Cole Caufield is still stuck on 49 goals this season after failing to score a goal for the third straight game. The Canadiens forward had been on an incredible run that it was almost impossible for him to keep up the pace of 12 goals over 11 games.
There is no way a three-game stretch without a goal would constitute a slump, but it has been awhile that Caufield has gone this long without a goal. In fact, the last time he had gone three or more games without a goal was all the way back in mid-January when he had four games without a goal.
The chase for the milestone will linger over this franchise for at least one more game, but it is hard to imagine that he doesn't reach 50 goals before the end of the regular season.
Lane Hutson with a remarkable play to force overtime for the Canadiens
The Florida Panthers led for almost the entire game, and it felt like the Canadiens were going to need a miracle to get the win. They were able to get at least one point after Lane Hutson had the play of the game to force overtime.
Late in the third period, the Canadiens were seemingly doing all they could to tie the game up, and Daniil Tarasov was blocking everything they were throwing at him. The Panthers would clear the puck after a nearly perfect Nick Suzuki opportunity, and Lane Hutson would get the puck.
The Canadiens defenseman used his speed to skate past everyone and get the puck into the offensive zone. He would bring it right in front of the net, deke Tarasov, and pass the puck back to the middle of the ice. Suzuki was waiting there with an open net and didn't miss this time to tie the game up.
It was Lane Hutson's 75th point of the season as he continues to have an excellent season and is building off his rookie season from last year.
The Montreal Canadiens are off on Wednesday before a huge divisional matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning that could end up deciding who wins the Atlantic Division.