Canadiens recover, top Devils in shootout for 8th straight win

Timo Meier scored on a snap shot from the top of the appropriate face-off circle with Jake Allen pulled for an additional attacker to tug the Devils right into a 3-3 tie at 17:45 of the third interval.

Jayden Struble, Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson every scored for the Canadiens (45-21-10; 100 factors), who’ve put collectively their second-longest win streak in the previous 30 years after eight-game runs in 2016-17 and 2005-06. They gained 9 straight in 2015-16.

Jakub Dobes made 35 saves to win his fifth straight begin for the Canadiens.

“I felt like my confidence was always there; it’s just feeling comfortable, feeling good, and playing good hockey with the team,” Dobes mentioned. “That’s really important right now.”

Montreal is 2 factors behind the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic Division, and tied with the Buffalo Sabres. The Canadiens reached 100 factors for the primary time since 2016-17 (103). They host the Devils in the second of a home-and-home at Bell Center on Sunday.

“I feel 100 points is good, but we’re trying to get the best possible position for us to start (the Stanley Cup Playoffs) at home,” Dobes mentioned. “We’re trying to finish first; that’s the main focus right now.”

Jack Hughes and Meier every had a purpose and an help for New Jersey (39-34-3), which is 7-3-1 in its previous 11. Allen made 26 saves in his second straight begin.

“Overtime is a crap shoot; there’s no theories, no structure, no nothing,” Allen mentioned. “It’s let your skill take over and you’re going to win some, and going to lose some. But there were great chances at both ends. I think the fans got all the price of admission.”

Struble gave Montreal a 1-0 lead on a wrist shot from the left face-off circle that dipped below the crossbar at 15:58 of the primary interval.

Demidov made it 2-0 with a power-play purpose on a one-timer from the underside of the appropriate circle off Caufield’s cross-ice move at 8:12 of the second interval.