Rangers’ point streak hits eight despite falling in OT

The New York Rangers pushed their point streak to a season-high eight games, but it came with a bitter ending in a 5-4 overtime loss to their Orginal-Six rivals, Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night at a raucous Bell Centre.

The Blueshirts had the lead multiple times but couldn't lock it down. Jonathan Quick was sensational, making clutch save after clutch save, but the defense in front of him fell apart too often. Will Borgen had a rough night, the Canadiens kept up relentless pressure, and the offense missed chances to bury the game, as Patrik Laine sealed the win for Montreal just 3:20 into overtime.

Alexis Lafrenière Scores, Quick Shines, Rangers Lead After 1:

What a start in Montreal. You could feel the intensity in the air, as this one had everything. The Canadiens entered as the hottest team in the league right now (11-3-1 over the past month), but the Rangers inteneded to spoil the party.

The game started to a fast-paced but cautious start, with both teams feeling each other out early. Alexis Lafrenière, the hometown kid, broke the ice for the Blueshirts about halfway through the period. K'Andre Miller's shot off the boards ricocheted perfectly to Laf in the slot, and he didn't miss. That's two goals in two games for him after a tough twenty-game stretch.

Of course, the 1-0 Rangers lead didn't stay that way for long. Montreal's Brendan Gallagher tied it off a tip-in. That was a Borgen turnover that led to the chance, and Miller has to do better there—he just turned his back on Gallagher instead of taking his stick.

Yet less than a minute later, the Canadiens handed the Rangers a gift when "WiFi" (Arber Xhekaj) coughed it up in their zone, and Will Cuylle paid them. His first goal in 15 games gave the visitors a 2-1 lead. That's two goals from the 2020 draft class, and another got into a fight.

Things got spicy. Braden Schneider and Josh Anderson dropped the gloves, and Schneider took him down to the ice. Schneider and Anderson went off, along with Adam Edström and Brendan Gallagher. Schneider's nose looked bloody as he headed to the locker room but returned.

Meanwhile, Quick was the clutch, making a save with Juraj Slafkovsky's stick and chaos in front of the net. He was sharp all night and has been sharp all season, bailing out the defense on several breakdowns.

Rangers Fight Back, But Defensive Lapses Cost Them:

Heavyweights Matt Rempe and Xhekaj finally squared up after chirping in their last meeting. Xhekaj got the better of Rempe, dropping him with a left hook early. Rempe gave it another go but couldn't turn the tide — a decisive win for WiFi. Rempe also got an extra two for a false start before the fight.

Quick continued to show why he's still got it, making big saves on Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield and even stoning a 2-on-1 late on the penalty kill. Yet Christian Dvorak scored to square things up, and unfortunately for Filip Chytil, it deflected off his stick into the Rangers' net. It was a tough break, but credit to Montreal for pushing the pace.

Then we saw some fire from Artemi Panarin. After Kaiden Guhle cross-checked Chytil at the crease and ripped his helmet off, the Breadman stepped in, pulling Guhle off and even throwing a punch. Guhle got a double minor, and the Rangers went to the power play. Mika Zibanejad made sure it counted, sniping one from the top of the circle with Kreider setting a perfect screen in front.

However, as was the night's theme, the one-goal lead didn't last. Borgen had another giveaway, which led to a Suzuki rip to make it 3-3.

Thankfully, Adam Fox and Chris Kreider teamed up to restore the Rangers lead late in the period. Fox sent a beautiful pass to Kreider, who tapped it home. The Hab-clad crowd, still booing Kreider like it's 2014, had to watch him celebrate in their barn. Delicious irony.

Fox took a delay of game penalty by shooting the puck over the glass, giving Montreal another power play, but more Quick saves and blocks by Sam Carrick and Vincent Trocheck preserved the Blueshirts' lead through 40 minutes.

Quick’s Heroics Can’t Save Rangers in Sloppy Third and OT Heartbreaker:

The Canadiens completely outshot the Rangers in the third, holding a 15-5 edge at one point. It felt like the Rangers were in survival mode the entire time. Cuylle and Chytil hit posts, and they couldn't catch a break.

And then came the tying goal. Slafkovsky crashed the net and buried a rebound with 7:08 left, knotting it up at 4-4. It was a great play by Montreal's Lane Hutson, who extended his point streak to eight games and continues to make his Calder and Norris case. For Slafkovsky, it was his sixth goal of the season, and the Canadiens' momentum was hard to stop after that.

Borgen was everywhere defensively, trying to redeem himself. He robbed Laine of a sure goal in front of a wide-open net and made a sliding block on Dach later in the period. He had some big moments even when he struggled (and we'll get to that). Quick was the story again, making save after save as the Canadiens poured on the pressure. He even shook off getting hit in the neck by Guhle shot and kept battling like the warrior he is, clearly wanting that 400th career win.

Quick denied Alex Newhook on a mad rush, flashed the glove on Gallagher, and robbed Laine on the power play with a sliding save.

Overtime started with Quick making another stellar save on a Caufield one-timer, keeping the Rangers alive. The Blueshirts had great chances, with Panarin and Trocheck testing Dobes, but the Canadiens goaltender held strong, improving to 5-0 on the season.

The dagger came from Laine, on a 2-on-1, as he buried the game-winner for Montreal, sealing a 5-4 loss for the Blueshirts.

The defeat was another realization of the importance of tightening up defensively if New York wants to keep climbing the standings and remain in the playoff cluster. Still, the Rangers extended their point streak to eight games and sit a doable three points out of a wild-card spot. On to the next!