Nick Suzuki scored two goals in the second period, turning the game around for the Montreal Canadiens, while Sam Montembeault made 37 saves, helping his team secure a 5-3 win against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.
“He’s our leader for a reason,” said Canadiens forward Jake Evans. “He steps up in big moments, and he led the charge again tonight.”
Cole Caufield, Joel Armia, and Evans also contributed goals, with Alex Newhook providing two assists for Montreal, which has won four of its last five games.
Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett, and Anton Lundell scored for Florida, who faced their first loss against Montreal in four meetings this season. Anthony Stolarz made 34 saves.
The game was intense, with a total of 66 minutes in penalties, including 52 in the third period. Despite recent struggles, Panthers coach Paul Maurice remains confident in his team’s abilities. “They’re fine, they’re going to be just fine. Everybody relax,” he said.
Florida was missing key players Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe due to illness and injury, respectively. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad left the game in the second period due to injury after a skirmish.
Montreal capitalized on the power play, scoring one goal out of seven opportunities, while Florida failed to convert on four power-play chances.
The game saw back-and-forth action, with Lundell opening the scoring for Florida before Armia quickly responded for Montreal. Barkov then put Florida ahead, but Suzuki’s goals shifted the momentum in Montreal’s favor.
Caufield and Evans added to Montreal’s lead in the third period, while Bennett scored a short-handed goal for Florida late in the game. Despite Florida’s efforts to close the gap, Maurice chose not to pull the goalie, leaving Montreal with the victory.
