Canadiens rally for point versus Red Wings

November 21, 11:48 PMMontreal Canadiens ExaminerHeather Engel

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The Canadiens battled against the Red Wings, to finish the week 2-0-1. (AP Photo/Graham Hughes)

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No one can accuse the Canadiens of lacking character. Montreal erased a 2-0 Detroit lead in the third period to escape with at least point before falling to the Red Wings 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday night.

It was the Habs’ first loss in extra time this season. It was also the team's third win when giving up the first goal.

The Canadiens, forced to deal with yet another injury (Scott Gomez), wanted to get off to a good start, as they had in Washington the night before. They kept their word and were buzzing in the first 10 minutes.

If not for the parade to the penalty box in the opening period, this could have been a different result. Jacques Martin’s depleted crew acquitted itself rather well against the Red Wings under the circumstances.

Georges Laraque was the parade’s Grand Marshal, called for a pair of penalties on the same shift. A high-stick in the offensive zone followed by a dangerous knee-on-knee hit on defenceman Niklas Kronwall in the Canadiens end saw the heavyweight spend six minutes in the box.

Just 2:12 remained on Laraque’s infractions when blue-liner Brad Stuart’s slap shot from the point evaded Carey Price’s grasp and landed in the net.

Shortly thereafter, Paul Mara was sent off for cross-checking, giving the Wings a full two-minute two-man advantage. Just as time expired on Laraque’s penalties, Detroit connected again. This time it was Pavel Datsyuk with a perfect tip-in to Price’s right, who had no chance on the tape-to-tape passing on the play.

Overall, the Canadiens spent more than eight minutes shorthanded in the first frame, including two 5-on-3 Red Wing advantages.

Down by two heading into the third period, Martin put his remaining big guns together and it paid instant dividends. Henrik Zetterberg won the faceoff but the Canadiens quickly regained possession. Jaroslav Spacek got the puck to the suddenly-hot Andrei Kostitsyn, who left a drop pass for a trailing Mike Cammalleri. The Habs’ leading sniper quickly released a wrister that beat Red Wings netminder Jimmy Howard to cut the lead in half.

Cammalleri helped make this one a game with his second of the night and 11th of the season. A rare turnover by Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom was picked up by Tomas Plekanec, who quickly dished it off to Kostitsyn. No. 46 then delivered a seeing-eye pass to Cammalleri, who easily slipped it through Howard’s legs.

Kostitsyn recorded his second multi-point game this season and is now riding a three-game point streak.

No scoring in the rest of the period meant an extended game for a ninth time this season. After overtime solved nothing, it was off to the shootout. Cammalleri was denied and Plekanec hit the post while Datsyuk and Zetterberg lit the lamp. They were the first two shootout goals given up by Price this season.

The Canadiens will have the day off on Sunday and it couldn’t come at a better time for Plekanec. He logged 25:07 on Saturday night  - second most on the team overall - and over the last two games has been on the ice for over 45 minutes.