MONTREAL — Nick Suzuki scored his second of the game 29 seconds into overtime as the Montreal Canadiens came back for a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers in the second game of a home-and-home on Tuesday night.
Suzuki, who scored the winner with a wraparound, also tied the game with 8.4 seconds remaining in regulation to send the Bell Centre into a frenzy.
Josh Anderson also scored for Montreal (35-30-9) and Sam Montembeault stopped 25 shots.
Lane Hutson earned three assists to pad that total to 57 this season, passing Chris Chelios for the second-most by a rookie defenceman in NHL history.
Mackie Samoskevich and Niko Mikkola also scored for Florida (44-26-4), which was swept in four games against Montreal this season. The Canadiens also beat the Panthers 4-3 in Sunrise, Fla., on Sunday.
Vitek Vanecek made 18 saves. He has only one win in 11 starts since Nov. 30.
The Canadiens entered the game holding the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot.
The Panthers, meanwhile, moved two points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the top spot in the Atlantic Division.
TAKEAWAYS
Canadiens: Started strong with a 9-5 edge in shots during an energetic first period but lost steam in the second. Suzuki’s third period heroics saved the team.
Panthers: Mikkola was showered with boos each time he touched the puck after something that transpired in Sunday’s game. As the final buzzer sounded, the six-foot-six defenceman fired a slapshot down the ice and nearly struck Montreal’s David Savard, leading to a scrum. On the injury front, Florida centre Nico Sturm exited in the first period after colliding with teammate A.J. Greer.
KEY MOMENT
Amid the jeers, Mikkola’s centring pass deflected off Jake Evans’ stick and into Montreal’s net at 10:37 of the first period. His sixth goal of the season tied the game 1-1 and stifled Montreal’s early momentum.
KEY STAT
Hutson became the 10th rookie NHL defenceman to reach 60 points in a season. He’s also only the third Canadiens blueliner in franchise history to tally 57 assists in a campaign.
UP NEXT
Panthers: Visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
Canadiens: Host the Boston Bruins on Thursday.
