The Montreal Canadiens rallied past the Vancouver Canucks to complete a thrilling 4-3 comeback at Rogers Arena on Saturday, powered by a historic performance from rookie forward Ivan Demidov.
The 19-year-old Demidov netted three points in the NHL for the first time, scoring the game-winning goal and assisting on two power-play markers. His efforts helped Montreal erase a 2-0 deficit, making history in the process. Demidov has now tallied nine points in his first ten games, becoming the first Montreal rookie to do so since Stephan Lebeau in the 1989-90 season.
Vancouver struck first, with Elias Pettersson scoring his second goal of the season at 4:42 of the first period. Pettersson received a precise pass from Filip Hronek after Conor Garland drew the forechecker in the neutral zone, creating the opening.
The Canucks extended their lead to 2-0 on a power-play goal by Jake DeBrusk, who deflected a Quinn Hughes shot just 6:43 into the second period. This came moments after a short-handed chance by Josh Anderson hit the post for Montreal.
However, the Canadiens regained momentum with Demidov leading the charge. Nick Suzuki scored at 15:03 of the second period on a backdoor pass from Demidov, cutting Vancouver’s lead to 2-1. Suzuki’s goal marked his ninth consecutive game with a point, totaling 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) during the streak — the longest in the NHL this season.
Early in the third period, Juraj Slafkovsky tied the game 2-2 on another power-play setup from Demidov, who capitalized on a loose puck following a Lane Hutson point shot.
Montreal took the lead for the first time at 8:19 of the third period when defenseman Mike Matheson scored a screen shot from between the face-off circles. Demidov then sealed the victory at 11:09 with a deflected short-side one-timer from the right face-off dot, giving the Canadiens a 4-2 cushion.
Conor Garland scored for Vancouver late in the third, but it wasn’t enough as Montreal held on for the win.
Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes made 28 saves, while Kevin Lankinen stopped 20 shots for the Canucks.
This marks Montreal’s third third-period comeback this season, tied for the most in the NHL, and improves the team’s record to 7-3-0.
The Canadiens will next face the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, with puck drop scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET.
https://clutchpoints.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/canadiens-news-rookie-ivan-demidov-wild-feat-seen-first-time-this-century
About the Author
