Recap: Miller’s OT Winner Lifts Rangers to 5–4 Comeback Victory Over Montreal

The New York Rangers returned to Madison Square Garden after a few days off following their loss against the Chicago Blackhawks. As they faced the Montreal Canadiens, who entered the game fourth in the Atlantic Division, the Blueshirts couldn't afford to play the same way they did in the Windy City. The first period was reminiscent of the game against the Blackhawks, but the Rangers managed to claw their way to overtime. Once in overtime, the Blueshirts put the game away and came away with a much-needed two points.

First Period

Right off the opening face-off, the Rangers got some excellent looks on offense, including a point-blank shot by Mika Zibanejad, but he was stopped by Jacob Fowler. The first few minutes belonged to New York, as they maintained offensive zone possession and got the first four shots on goal. The Panarin, Zibanejad, and Lafrenière line started the game strong but still couldn't find the back of the net.

Neither side was able to generate much offense, and it took 12 minutes for the Canadiens to find their first shot on goal. Both teams had issues scoring early on, with the Rangers having more chances, but Fowler stood strong in net for Montreal. This changed later in the period when Nick Suzuki got an excellent feed from Cole Caufield. Suzuki pulled the trigger, and Zachary Bolduc, standing in front of the net, finished the play and put it past Igor Shesterkin.

Momentum stayed in favor of the Canadiens, as a far shot from Arber Xhekaj got past traffic and behind Shesterkin. Braden Schneider was unable to move Josh Anderson away from the net, making it difficult for Shesterkin to find the puck.

Suzuki almost made it 3-0 with a shot that struck the post. After a sluggish start, the Canadiens came alive. New York got the first five shots, but Montreal got the next seven, with the seventh being a third goal from Jake Evans. A turnover in the defensive zone from the Blueshirts led to a nice wrister from Evans. Shesterkin did not get much help in his 300th career game but was not playing anywhere near what he is capable of.

The Blueshirts got the first power play opportunity of the game off an interference call from Lane Hutson. The Rangers stuck with the five-forward power play and continued to struggle, with the only shot on goal from the first unit being from a Zibanejad shot, which was tipped by Vincent Trocheck.

The second unit had a strong opportunity to score starting with a shot from Vladislav Gavrikov, but it nearly went the other way for a shorthanded goal. Once they reestablished control in the offensive zone, Noah Laba scored, which cut the Canadiens' lead to two. Will Cuylle drove the puck to the net, and Laba finished it.

Right after the power play, Panarin got a breakaway chance and drew a penalty on Noah Dobson, leading to a penalty shot. The Breadman was patient on the penalty shot before he put it past Fowler and cut the Canadiens' lead to one. The Rangers scored two goals in 19 seconds as they attempted to recover from their ugly start.

Gavrikov received a tripping call with 7.6 remaining, leading to the Blueshirts starting the second period shorthanded. An eventful period ended with a score of 3-2 and Montreal on top. What appeared to be a disastrous first period was saved by two late goals by the Rangers.

Second Period

Montreal's power play got off to a poor start with Matthew Robertson and Trocheck getting a shorthanded chance. The penalty killers and Shesterkin held firm, not giving up a goal or many chances. After the unsuccessful power play, Anderson found the back of the net, which extended the lead back to two goals. Hutson controlled the puck through the blue line and made a beautiful pass, which led to the goal.

Play stagnated for a bit after Anderson's goal but picked back up after Cuylle got one past Fowler from a tough angle. From behind the net, Cuylle threw the puck in front of the crease, and it bounced off a Canadiens defenseman and brought the game to within one.

The captain, J.T. Miller, evened the game with some nice hands. The original shot came from Robertson, and off the rebound, he tied the game and made it two goals in 39 seconds for New York. This marked Robertson's first two-point game as a Ranger.

An eventful second period wasn't over as Trocheck rang the post while the Rangers searched for the go-ahead goal. The poor start from the first period didn't carry over to the second, as the team looked much better. A scrum in front of the Rangers' net led to four-on-four play. Will Borgen and Owen Beck each received a roughing call.

Neither team benefited with an extra man off the ice. The second period ended without much action but was certainly an improvement from the previous period. The Rangers tightened up their play defensively and outscored and outshot the Canadiens during the second period.

Third Period

The end of the second carried over into the start of the third. Both teams traded control of the puck but didn't score. Shesterkin came away with a nice save after a sustained shift by Montreal in the Rangers' defensive zone. A poor start by Shesterkin, which saw him give up three goals on seven shots, but by the time the third period rolled around, he looked like the goaltender Rangers fans know.

A strong shift by Sam Carrick and the fourth line appeared to give the Rangers the go-ahead goal but was quickly overturned. The officials determined Carrick kicked the puck into the net, and the score remained 4-4. The overturned goal didn't end the team's momentum, and they peppered Montreal with shots. Trocheck hit the post for the second time in the game with another strong opportunity.

Each side tightened up play defensively, with not only scoring being nonexistent but also scoring chances being much lower than the previous two periods. After being uninvolved for a while, Shesterkin made a huge save off the rush, keeping the game tied. As time wound down, each side looked for someone to step up and be a hero, but the puck stayed out of the net.

As the clock continued to approach zero, it seemed overtime was needed to find out who would be the hero. Both sides made one last push to get the puck in the back of the net but just couldn't do it. Regulation wasn't enough to determine a victor, and the two Eastern Conference teams headed to three-on-three. This marked the fourth time in the last eight games the Blueshirts went to overtime.

Overtime

The Rangers started with Miller, Trocheck, and Gavrikov. Gavrikov passed it to Trocheck near the net, but he tipped it wide, and Montreal took it the other way. A nice move by Caufield looked like it could have ended poorly, but Gavrikov made a nice move to take the puck away.

A flurry of chances from each side eventually led to a penalty against Montreal. With Shesterkin on the bench, New York dominated time of possession before the Canadiens touched up and stopped play. Evans slashed Panarin, leading to a four-on-three power play in overtime. Before the power play started, head coach Mike Sullivan used the Blueshirts' time-out.

Trocheck, Zibanejad, Panarin, and Miller took the ice to start the man advantage. The Rangers won the faceoff, and some good passing led to a Panarin shot, which was saved by Flower.

The Rangers won the ensuing faceoff, and a one-timer by Miller got passed by Fowler and ended the game.

The Blueshirts overcame a three-goal deficit in the first period, and five different players recorded multiple points. The Rangers remained resilient and determined, something the team had lacked at other points in the past.

The Anaheim Ducks are next up on the schedule, with Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba slated to make their return to Madison Square Garden.