Jacob Trouba Caps off Rangers’ Rally for 6-5 Win over Canadiens

MONTREAL — Jacob Trouba scored the go-ahead goal in the third period as the New York Rangers overcame a four-goal deficit to stun the Montreal Canadiens 6-5 on Saturday night.

Brendan Lemieux, with two, Filip Chytil, Pavel Buchnevich and Artemi Panarin also scored for the Rangers (10-9-2), who were down 4-0 early in the second period.

Backup goalie Alexandar Georgiev stopped 38-of-43 shots in the second game of a back-to-back for New York following a 4-1 loss in Ottawa on Friday.

Max Domi and Artturi Lehkonen each scored twice and Shea Weber added another for the Canadiens (11-7-5), who have lost a season-high four games in a row. Nick Suzuki and Ben Chiarot had two assists apiece.

Carey Price stopped 28-of-34 shots in defeat.

The Rangers were losing 5-3 in the third period before putting three unanswered goals past Price.

Panarin scored at 5:51 on a no-look backhand pass from Chris Kreider, just 31 seconds after Lehkonen beat Georgiev from the slot for his second of the night.

Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers
Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Lemieux tied the game at 5-5 with a short-handed marker at 8:41 on a 2-on-1 with Brett Howden.

Trouba completed the improbable comeback with a shot from the point that went off Jeff Petry and in with 7:50 left in the game.

Montreal lost in regulation time for the first time this season when leading after the first period (6-1-1).

The well-rested Canadiens were cruising towards a victory by leading 4-0 after 23 minutes of play.

Domi, back at centre after playing the last three games on the wing, snapped a nine-game goalless drought 2:03 into the encounter from the edge of the crease.

Montreal went up 2-0 exactly halfway through the first when Lehkonen fired a perfect shot far post on Georgiev while using Jacob Trouba as a screen.

Domi made it 3-0 with his second goal of the night on a quick release that caught Georgiev off guard with 34 seconds left in the period.

Max Domi, Montreal Canadiens
Max Domi, Montreal Canadiens (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

New York backup goalie got a piece of Weber’s slap shot at 2:51 of the second but the puck still trickled in behind him.

The Rangers were down but not out and they put three pucks past Price in a 3:20 span in the second.

An unmarked Chytil scored the first for the visitors with a one-timer at 6:11 on a pass from Panarin.

Buchnevich, playing his 200th NHL game, made it 4-2 at 7:06 when his shot went off defenceman Cale Fleury and in for his fourth of the year.

Lemieux got the Rangers within one at 9:30 by deflecting Adam Fox’s shot past Price as a penalty to Phillip Danault expired.

Notes

Panarin has at least a point in 13 of his last 14 contests. … It was the first of three meetings between New York and Montreal this season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 23, 2019.

Kelsey Patterson, The Canadian Press