Rangers blow 4 leads, lose 5-4 in overtime to Canadiens

The New York Rangers extended their point streak to a season-high eight games but their defensive deficiencies proved costly in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night.

The Rangers are 5-0-3 in their best run of the season but blew four one-goal leads and could not get the extra point when Patrik Laine beat Jonathan Quick 3:20 into overtime.

The Rangers (22-20-4) are three points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. Montreal (23-19-4) trails by one point.

Quick made a point-blank stop on Laine late in regulation but was not as fortunate in the extra period and the goal ended a game often played at a blistering pace a night after the Rangers outlasted the Blue Jackets for a 1-0 shootout victory.

“It’s tough to leave points on the table and we’re searching for points,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said postgame. “I thought the guys gave everything, especially in the circumstances, gave everything in the 65 minutes.”

Laine scored the game-winner by entering the offensive zone and dishing to Kaiden Guhle. Laine slipped past defenseman K’Andre Miller in the high slot, waited for the return feed and lifted the puck over Quick.

Laine’s game-winner came moments after Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck were stopped point-blank by rookie goalie Jakub Dobes. It also sent the Rangers to their second overtime loss in four games after blowing a third-period lead to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.

In his third attempt to become the first United States-born goalie to reach 400 career wins in the NHL, Quick made 33 saves, including several of the high-danger variety. He made 15 saves in the third period when the Rangers were outshot 16-5 and allowed the tying goal to Juraj Slafkovsky with 7:08 left in regulation.

“He was great,” Laviolette said. “He was outstanding, especially at the start of the first period. That’s when they really pressed.”

Alexis Lafreniere and Will Cuylle scored in the first period. Mika Zibanejad scored a power-play goal midway through the second and Chris Kreider gave the Rangers a 4-3 lead into the third.

“Points are important but we had an opportunity to get that extra one,” Kreider said.

Brendan Gallagher, Christian Dvorak and Nick Suzuki scored the first three tying goals for the Canadiens, who are 12-3-1 in their past 16.

“It stings,” Zibanejad said. “I think we played a pretty good first 40 minutes and put ourselves in a good spot on the road to win a game and we don’t get it done.”

Montreal Canadiens 5 – New York Rangers 4 (OT)

After waiting until the second round of the shootout to score on Saturday, the Rangers capitalized on a fortuitous bounce for a 1-0 lead with 9:43 remaining.

Miller took a shot from the right point and the puck caromed off the end boards before hopping over the net to the crease. Lafreniere chased the puck the entire time, swooped in, cut to the net and put the puck by Dubes.

It was Lafreniere’s third goal in his past 20 games.

The Rangers held the lead for a little over 2 1/2 minutes until a careless clearing attempt by Will Borgen. The defenseman tried to the clear the defensive zone by throwing the puck off the right boards but Josh Anderson retrieved it, moved it to Dvorak, whose pass was deflected past Quick by Gallagher.

The Rangers provided a quick response 46 seconds later thanks to a strong forecheck in the corner.

Zibanejad forced Arber Xhekaj into a giveaway and Cuylle gained possession. Cuylle cut through the left circle into the high slot and sent the puck past Dubes for his first goal since Dec. 15, a span of 16 games.

Dvorak tied the game 5:07 into the second when his shot deflected off Filip Chytil’s stick in front and went into the vacated right side of the net. A little over five minutes later, Zibanejad faked a one-timer from above the right circle and used a screen by Kreider to send the puck by defensemen Mike Matheson and David Savard into the net.

Montreal tied the game for the third time when Suzuki intercepted an errant clear by Borgen and beat Quick to the far post with just under five minutes left in the period.

The Rangers regained the lead with 3:40 remaining in the second when Kreider kept alive their offensive zone time and re-directed a pass from Fox over Dubes’ right pad. It was Kreider’s fourth goal in his past seven games.

The Rangers lost their fourth lead at the end of a long shift when Slafkovsky slipped past Trocheck and re-directed Cole Caufield’s centering pass through the crease by Quick.

That set the stage for Laine to his 12th goal in 18 games this season. It was his third game-winner and third time this season the Rangers lost when leading after two periods (16-1-2).

Another important Eastern Conference clash awaits Tuesday, when the Rangers host the Ottawa Senators, a team they trail by four points for the top wild card.