MONTREAL — In an intense matchup at home, the Montreal Canadiens staged a thrilling comeback to defeat the Florida Panthers 3-2, with Nick Suzuki shining brightly by securing the overtime winner just 29 seconds in.
Suzuki proved to be instrumental, having earlier forced extra time by leveling the game with only 8.4 seconds left in regulation. Alongside Suzuki, Josh Anderson found the net for Montreal (35-30-9), while goaltender Sam Montembeault delivered a solid performance between the pipes, registering 25 saves.
Defensively, Lane Hutson stood out by assisting on all three Montreal goals, boosting his season tally to an impressive 57 assists. This places him second in the NHL history books for most assists by a rookie defenseman, surpassing Chris Chelios.
For Florida, goals were contributed by Mackie Samoskevich and Niko Mikkola. Despite their efforts, the Panthers (44-26-4) endured their fourth consecutive defeat to the Canadiens this season, having lost an earlier encounter 4-3 in Sunrise, Florida, on Sunday. Goalie Vitek Vanecek faced a challenging night, making 18 saves, and has recently struggled with just one win in his past 11 starts since late November.
Currently, the Canadiens occupy the second wild-card position in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Meanwhile, the Panthers are trailing behind the Toronto Maple Leafs by two points for the Atlantic Division’s top spot.
Key moments and strategic plays defined the night. Mikkola’s every touch was met with boos, stemming from an incident in Sunday’s clash where he controversially fired a last-second shot that sparked tensions.
Initially, Montreal dominated, outshooting Florida 9-5 in a high-energy first period. However, as the second period progressed, they saw their momentum wane. A pivotal moment came for the Panthers when, amidst the crowd’s derision, Mikkola’s attempted centering pass was inadvertently redirected off Jake Evans’ stick, scoring at 10:37 in the first period and equalizing the game at 1-1.
On the stat sheet, Hutson’s achievement stood out significantly, becoming only the 10th NHL rookie defenseman to reach 60 points in a season and just the third Canadiens defenseman to record 57 assists in a single campaign.
Looking ahead, the Panthers are scheduled to play against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday, while the Canadiens are set to welcome the Boston Bruins this Thursday at home.