Suzuki’s late-game heroics lift Canadiens to dramatic 3-2 OT win over Panthers

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 also tied the game with 8.4 seconds remaining in regulation.

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 second-most by a rookie defenseman in NHL history.

Mackie Samoskevich and Niko Mikkola 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, Florida, 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 top spot in the Atlantic Division.

Takeaways

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 6-foot-6 defenseman fired a slapshot down the ice and nearly struck Montreal’s David Savard, leading to a scrum.

Canadiens: Started strong with a 9-5 edge in shots during an energetic first period but lost steam in the second.

Key moment

Amid the jeers, Mikkola’s centering 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 defenseman 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

The Panthers visit the Maple Leafs on Wednesday. The Canadiens host the Bruins on Thursday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl