MONTREAL _ Boom, boom, boom.
In a matter of 62 seconds midway through the third period on Saturday, the Canadiens scored three goals, erasing a one-goal deficit and adding a chapter to the house of horrors for the Rangers at Bell Centre as Montreal held on for a 5-4 win.
After Alexei Emelin's 65-foot shot at 10:53 eluded Henrik Lundqvist, who had replaced Antti Raanta (lower-body injury) at the start of the second period, Max Pacioretty split the defense and scored with a shot through Lundqvist's legs at 11:29. Then Paul Byron's backhander from 12 feet glanced off Adam Clendening's skate and in at 11:55, and the Blueshirts were shellshocked.
With 5:07 left, Derek Stepan's backhanded a floating puck past Carey Price at the right post to cut the lead to 5-4. Price then gloved Michael Grabner's break-in shot seconds later and the Blueshirts, who had played with the verve and pushback missing in Friday's 4-2 defeat to the Maple Leafs at Madison Square Garden, lost their second straight.
After a zany 40 minutes of near-misses, Andrew Shaw's game misconduct and 22 minutes of first-period penalties, two goaltender interference challenges, one successful, an injury to Raanta and a short-handed goal, the Rangers somehow led 3-2 heading into the third period.
The second period came to an end with a ghastly mid-ice giveaway by Ryan McDonagh and his frantic chase to break up a solo rush just outside the crease
At 12:24, just four seconds into the first Blueshirts power play of the evening, with Shaw in the box for interference, Stepan won a draw in the Canadiens zone and McDonagh fed Pirri for a high, one-timer rocket that hit the far corner for a 1-0 lead. It was Pirri's first goal since Dec. 11
The Canadiens thought they had taken the lead at the four-minute mark on Phillipe Danault's backhander over Raanta, but the goal was challenged and overturned because Shaw had interfered with the Rangers netminder.
Lundqvist skated off the bench after the first intermission, and the team announced that Raanta had suffered a lower-body injury and would not return.
The trouble started right away. Alex Galchenyuk, alone in front, tipped down a shot from the left boards past Lundqvist at 3:08 to forge a 1-1 tie.
At 6:20 of the second, Kevin Hayes picked up a loose puck at the blue line, skated in and deked Price, who stopped his one-handed reach-around, but Rick Nash buried the rebound. Hayes' right skate snagged Price's pad as the Rangers center moved past the left post before Nash's rising shot, but the replay ruled that there was no goaltender interference, and the cascade of boos almost raised the roof as the Rangers claimed a 2-1 lead. Pavel Buchnevich, who was cleared to play consecutive games as his back problem eased, was credited with the secondary assist, his second in two games.
But the Canadiens responded, testing Lundqvist with shots from all angles. With Kevin Klein unable to cover several Habs who kept hacking away in front, Brian Flynn eventually banged the puck past a prone Lundqvist at 7:58.
Raanta, who last played on Dec. 29th in Arizona, was tapped to make his 18th appearance of the season and only the second of his career at Bell Centre, as coach Alain Vigneault initially chose to let Lundqvist watch from the visitors' bench.
Last March 26, Raanta had made his only career appearance here, turning away 24 of 26 shots in a 5-2 win. In three appearances against the Canadiens, the Finnish netminder was 2-0-0, with a 2.30 GAA and a .926 save percentage. On Dec. 29th against the Coyotes, he made 18 saves on 21 shots in a 6-3 victory.
Lundqvist has had issues against the Canadiens, with a 14-15-2 lifetime record, with a 2.77 GAA and .900 save percentage, although he had allowed two or fewer goals in six of his last eight appearances. So in a way, the ending was no surprise.
