HABS THIRD PERIOD RALLY LEADS TO 4-3 WIN

GOAL SCORERS

MTL:   T. Plekanec (07:38 - 2nd) , B. Gionta (PPG, 03:49 - 3rd) , A. Emelin (07:33 - 3rd) , B. Gallagher (12:03 - 3rd)

TBL:   S. Stamkos (05:30 - 2nd) , S. Salo (08:15 - 2nd) , R. Malone (PPG, 12:20 - 2nd)

GOALIES

MTL: C. Price (W)

 TBL: C. Desjardins (L)

          Earlier tonight in Tampa Bay, the Canadiens took on the Lightning in a attempt to jump 1 point over the Bruins for 1st in the Eastern Conference. No score in the second and the shots were 10-7 Lightning. 5 minutes into the second, Stamkos skated up the left wing and cut to the slot and wristed a shot past Price to make it 1-0. 2 minutes later, Markov centred the puck to Plekanec and he scored to tie the game. Just a minute after that  Crombeens shot was blocked and the rebound went to Salo at the point and his shot found its way to the back of the net to make it 2-1. Malone would score on the powerplay to make it 3-1 after two.

     The shots in the second were 11-9 Lightning.  The last time these two team met, Montreal had a 3-0 lead going into the third until the Lightning came back to tie the game, but fell in the shootout. In this game the roles were reversed and the Lightning had the lead and couldn't hold it. 3:49 into the third with the Habs on a powerplay, there was a scramble for the puck in the crease in behind Cedrick Desjardins and Gionta knocked it loose and knocked it into the net to cut the lead to 1. At the 7:33 mark of the third, Gionta played the puck to Emelin at the point and his one timer beat Desjardins to tie the game.

            Shortly after that, Gallagher got the puck behind the net and drove it to the net and was stopped, but Gallagher wouldn't give up. He hacked away at the puck, two, three times before it went in to make it 4-3 Montreal. The Habs just dominated the third, out shooting the Lightning 13 to 2 as they just didn't quit and found a way to get back into the game and most importantly, found a way to win. "That's what good teams do," Gallagher said. "You get behind, but you're confident in yourself to come back in games. We get down by two and we feel like we have a chance to come back. But with that said, you have to do the right thing and play the same way every night."

        In the win, Price made 20 saves. In the loss, Desjardins made 25 saves. "When you're in these situations, things creep into your head when you're not winning games, and you're finding ways to lose," Stamkos said after a players only postgame meeting. "It's natural. You've got to find a way not to have that.
"A 3-1 lead at home going into the third, that should almost be automatic. Right now it's clearly not."

Written By Andrew Di Pardo