Recap: Montreal vs. Pittsburgh
Sports Network | May 6, 2010
Montreal, QC (Sports Network) - Brian Gionta was credited with the winning goal early in the third period, as Montreal rallied to post a 3-2 victory over Pittsburgh in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series at Bell Centre.
Tom Pyatt and Maxim Lapierre also tallied for the Canadiens, who evened the best-of-seven set at two games apiece thanks to a brief burst in the final 20 minutes.
Jaroslav Halak was strong again, picking up his sixth win of these playoffs by turning aside 33-of-35 shots.
"It's amazing how things change quickly. There was two different pictures in how we played tonight, and we didn't want to go down three-to-one," said Habs forward Mike Cammalleri. "At the same time, we sat here after the second, looked at each other, and admitted there was two bad periods of hockey. Let's all pick it up."
Max Talbot and Chris Kunitz scored for the Penguins, who failed to take a convincing series edge despite the return of forward Jordan Staal after a two- game absence.
Marc-Andre Fleury allowed all three goals on just 25 shots in defeat.
Game 5 shifts back to Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Two goals in a 1:33 span staked the home team to victory.
Lapierre started the comeback when his stuffer at the right post pulled Montreal even at the 2:07 mark of the third period.
Gionta got the game-winner at 3:40, when his centering pass from the right- wing side on a rush hit the skate of Penguins defenseman Kris Letang in the slot and slid into a half-open net.
"I don't think we changed the way we played. Obviously, to have a goal like that means they will come harder," said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby. "They got more confident, and played with more energy. I don't think we felt sorry for ourselves after that. I thought we generated some really good chances. You have to learn to bounce back after those plays."
Halak was strong from there, foiling repeated chances by the Penguins. He flashed the leather to stop Sergei Gonchar's point drive with five minutes to play, then got a piece of a shot on an Evgeni Malkin breakaway just over a minute later.
Fleury was called to the bench with just under one minute left in regulation, and though Pittsburgh rocketed shots from every angle, there were no quality chances before the buzzer.
"We stopped playing defensively in the first two periods," Gionta admitted. "Going into the third we had a good start. We need to let things play out the way it's going to play out, and not get on the refs ourselves. We let the crowd do their thing, and let that bring pressure."
The Habs took a 1-0 lead just 2:34 into the contest, when Pyatt's prayer from the outer part of the left circle got through an unscreened Fleury.
The visitors struck to tie at 3:27, as a failed attempt to keep the puck in the Canadiens' attacking zone by Habs defender PK Subban sprung the Pens on an odd-man rush. Talbot got the puck and weaved from the left wing to the right and slid a backhander home.
Pittsburgh needed less than two minutes to take a one-goal edge with the power play, as an errant centering pass from Crosby hit Kunitz in front and slid by Halak at 5:18.
Montreal was shackled defensively in the second period, posting just three shots on net to 11 for the Pens in a scoreless 20 minutes.
It was Gionta's first game-winning goal in the 2010 playoffs and first postseason game-deciding tally since Game 6 of the 2007 Eastern quarterfinals against Tampa Bay when he skated for the Devils...The Boston College product has five goals and eight points in 11 playoff games this year...Crosby's assist snapped his two-game pointless streak...He had been held without a point in three of the previous four contests...Penguins forward Bill Guerin did not play for the second straight game due to an unknown injury.
