Tommy Novak finished a wild Pittsburgh swing with a wrist shot 1:33 into overtime, lifting the Penguins to a 6-5 victory over the Montreal Canadiens after a four-goal cushion vanished on Saturday.
Key takeaways
- Novak scored twice and added an assist, including the overtime winner from the right circle off Evgeni Malkin’s feed on a 2-on-1.
- Montreal erased a 5-1 deficit, with Nick Suzuki creating two extra-attacker goals in a 24-second span late in regulation.
- Malkin posted a goal and two assists, while Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang each contributed two helpers for Pittsburgh.
- Nick Suzuki recorded four points for the Canadiens, Cole Caufield scored twice, and Lane Hutson collected three assists.
- Montreal defenseman Alexandre Carrier exited during the second period with an undisclosed injury.
Pittsburgh builds the lead, then survives the pushback
The Penguins improved to 2-0 after opening the season with a 7-0 road win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday. Arturs Silovs stopped 20 shots, but Pittsburgh had to regroup after Montreal’s late surge forced overtime.
Caufield gave the Canadiens an early edge at 3:49 of the first period, stepping into the right faceoff circle and beating Silovs on the blocker side on Montreal’s second shot of the afternoon.
Malkin answered on the power play at 14:07. Letang’s attempt created a rebound, and Malkin worked the loose puck to his backhand for his second goal through two games in his 21st NHL season.
Pittsburgh took control in the middle frame. Declan Carlile put the Penguins ahead 32 seconds into the period with a shot from the right circle. Samuel Girard made it 3-1 at 7:59, finishing from close range after Sidney Crosby delivered a backhand pass.
Novak stretched the margin to three at 14:01, taking Egor Chinakhov’s pass on a 2-on-1 and firing over Jakub Dobes. Ben Kindel then redirected Karlsson’s point shot on the power play at 15:32 to make it 5-1.
Suzuki gave Montreal a foothold before intermission, splitting the Pittsburgh defense and scoring on the backhand at 18:46 of the second.
Canadiens rally, Novak closes the book
Caufield pulled Montreal to 5-3 at 3:31 of the third, wiring a wrist shot from the high slot. Pittsburgh briefly appeared to restore its three-goal lead when Chinakhov scored at 5:25, but Montreal challenged the entry and the goal was overturned for offside.
That reversal left the door open for the Canadiens. With Dobes on the bench for an extra attacker, Suzuki worked from behind the Pittsburgh net and found Chris Kreider in the slot for a one-timer with 1:08 remaining. The goal cut the deficit to 5-4.
Only 24 seconds later, Suzuki sent a pass through the crease to Ivan Demidov at the right post, and Demidov tied the game with 44 seconds left in regulation.
Dobes made 24 saves for Montreal, which had started its season with a 3-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday. Kreider and Demidov each finished with a goal and an assist, while Suzuki had one goal and three assists.
Overtime lasted less than two minutes. Malkin carried the puck into the attacking zone on a 2-on-1 and sent it to Novak in the right circle. Novak’s wrist shot beat Dobes to end it, giving Pittsburgh the final word after Montreal’s remarkable comeback.
