For the third time this season, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens could not resolve a game during regulation. A three-goal third period left the score tied at 2-2 at the end of regulation. It took eight rounds of a shootout before the Habs finally broke through to take a 3-2 shootout win.
The Penguins were held scoreless through the first two periods, but quickly evened it up at 1-1 just a minute into the third. Pascal Dupuis scored his 12th of the season while the Pens were shorthanded, deflecting a shot in front off his skate that was desperately centered from the bad angle by Joe Vitale. The goal was reviewed but it held up. But after killing off the penalty, the Pens immediately gave up the go-ahead goal as the Habs took a 2-1 lead two minutes later, as Lars Eller beat Marc-Andre Fleury.
James Neal would respond for Pittsburgh, scoring his 28th goal and first since playing in the All-Star game over a week ago. Neal fired a wrister high that beat Canadiens' goalie Carey Price. With the score knotted at two, both goalies would stand tall over the remaining ten minutes to send it to overtime.
A scoreless overtime session sent it to a shootout. After Montreal led off with a Rene Bourque goal, Kris Letang was denied by Price. Evgeni Malkin would even it up in the second round, as he scored his seventh shootout goal in nine attempts this season, spinning around with a spectacular move in front of Price. Fleury stopped Max Pacioretty to keep it even. Then, in the eighth round, the Habs finally broke through against Fleury while Price denied recent call-up Jason Williams to avoid the Pens season sweep.
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