The skinny: Anton Lander scored at 1:47 of overtime to give the Edmonton Oilers a 4-3 win over the Canadiens Thursday night at the Bell Centre. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his second goal of the game with 24.9 seconds showing on the clock to send the game into overtime. The Canadiens had a chance for an empty-net goal seconds earlier, but Tomas Plekanec hesitated and gave Oscar Klefbom a chance to block the shot. Max Pacioretty snapped a 2-2 tie when he scored at 9:17 of the third period. Pacioretty and David Desharnais were on an odd-man rush and Pacioretty elected to keep the puck and scored his 25th goal of the season.
Back on top: The single point moved the Canadiens into first place in both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference with 74 points. The Canadiens are tied in points with Tampa Bay, which lost at home to St. Louis, but Montreal enjoys the edge because they have three games in hand on the Lightning.
Missing Attachment Missing Attachment Missing Attachment Missing Attachment Missing Attachment Missing Attachment Missing Attachment Missing AttachmentHappy birthday, Alex: The Canadien took a 2-0 lead when Alex Galchenyuk scored his 16th goal of the season. Galchenyuk, who celebrated his 21st birthday Thursday, beat Viktor Fasth on the glove side after a cross-ice pass from P.K. Subban.
Secondary scoring: Fourth-liners Christian Thomas and Jacob De La Rose each collected his first NHL point as the Canadiens took a 1-0 lead at 16:25 of the opening period. Thomas beat Fasth as he unleashed a shot from the top of the faceoff circle. The shot grazed the crossbar and went in. De La Rose picked up the assist on the goal.
Coming back: The Oilers pulled even at 2-2 with a pair of second-period goals. Tokarski lost his shutout when Matt Hendricks tipped Jeff Petry’s shot from the point at 4:04. On the tying goal, Tokarski lost sight of the puck after making a save and a loose puck went in off Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ skate at 14:09. Tokarski made back-to-back saves on Iiro Pakarinen and Nail Yakupov before Pacioretty scored and then made a big save on Hendricks midway through the period. Ryan Hamilton had a chance on a 2-on-1 but hit the far goalpost.
Edmonton Oilers Nail Yakupov bounces off check by Montreal Canadiens Alexei Emelin during first period in Montreal Thursday.
Hit of the night: Alexei Emelin, whose name has started popping up in trade rumours, has picked up his game in the past week and he delivered a punishing check to fellow Russian Yakupov early in the third period. Yakupov was shaken up and had to be helped from the ice but he didn’t miss a shift.
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What’s next: The Canadiens close out their three-game homestand Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m., CBC, TVA Sports, TSN-690 Radio). In theory, this is the centrepiece of the annual Hockey Day in Canada celebration, but HNIC depends on big numbers in Ontario and the Leafs are losing their appeal after yet another loss Thursday night on Long Island.
