The Montreal Canadiens rallied past the Vancouver Canucks to complete a 4-3 comeback at Rogers Arena on Saturday, with the help of a historic performance from rookie forward Ivan Demidov.
The 19-year-old netted three points in the NHL for the first time, scoring the game-winning goal and assisting on two power-play markers to help Montreal erase a 2-0 deficit, while making history in the process. Demidov has scored nine points in his first ten games, becoming the first Montreal rookie to do so since Stephan Lebeau in 1989-90.
Vancouver struck first, with Elias Pettersson netting his second goal of the season at 4:42 of the first period. He received a pass from Filip Hronek after Conor Garland drew the forechecker in the neutral zone, creating the opening. The Canucks extended their lead to 2-0 on a power-play goal by Jake DeBrusk, who deflected a Quinn Hughes shot just 6:43 into the second period, after a short-handed chance by Josh Anderson that hit the post.
The Canadiens, however, got their mojo back with Demidov at the helm. Nick Suzuki scored at 15:03 of the second period on a backdoor pass from Demidov, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Suzuki’s goal extended his scoring streak to nine games, totaling 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) during the run, the longest in the NHL this season. Early in the third period, Juraj Slafkovsky tied the game 2-2 on another power-play setup from Demidov, who capitalized on a loose puck following a Lane Hutson point shot.
Montreal took the lead for the first time at 8:19 of the third, when defenseman Mike Matheson scored on a screen shot from between the face-off circles. Demidov then sealed the win at 11:09 with a deflected short-side one-timer from the right face-off dot, giving the Canadiens a 4-2 cushion. Conor Garland scored for Vancouver late in the third, but it wasn’t enough as Montreal held on.
Jakub Dobes made 28 saves for the Canadiens, while Kevin Lankinen stopped 20 for the Canucks. It's Montreal’s third third-period comeback this season, tied for the most in the NHL, and moves the team to 7-3-0.
The Canadiens will next face the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, with puck drop scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET.
