LATE BURST PROPELS CANADIENS
Three third period goals sink Stars
The bottom line: Brendan Gallagher, Artturi Lehkonen and Alex Radulov scored third period goals to lead the Canadiens to a 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars Tuesday night at the Bell Centre. Kari Lehtonen was outstanding in the Dallas net until Gallagher gave the Canadiens their first lead when he scored his ninth goal of the season from the faceoff circle at 3:21. Lehkonen notched his 14th goal with a shot from the point at 13:02 and Radulov capped off the third-period outburst with his 16th goal at 17:58. Lehtonen made 32 saves, while Carey Price made 27.
Scoreboard watching: With the win, the Canadiens opened a fourpoint lead on second-place Ottawa, after the Senators lost 3-2 in a shootout against Philadelphia. Ottawa continues to hold a game in hand.
Lehtonen on a roll: The Stars arrived in Montreal with the worst goals-against average in the NHL, but Lehtonen’s heroics shouldn’t have come as a surprise because he has been red-hot in recent games. He was one of the NHL’s three stars last week after posting a 3-0-1 record, including a 30-save shutout against the San Jose Sharks.
Quick start for Dallas: The Stars dominated the first five minutes of the game, outshooting the Canadiens 6-0 and taking a 1-0 lead on a goal by Curtis McKenzie. Price had to be sharp to stop Jamie Benn on a breakaway in the first minute, but he had no answer when McKenzie scored his sixth goal of the season at 1:47.
Pacioretty evens the score: Max Pacioretty tied the score at 1-1 with his 34th goal of the season at 15:49 of the second period. He scored on a backhander that trickled through on Lehtonen’s glove side. It was the Canadiens’ 27th shot of the game. McKenzie had a chance for a second goal, but Price made the save with 1:26 to play in the second period. End of the homestand: The Canadiens wrap up their six-game homestand when they face the Florida Panthers Thursday (7:30 p.m., Sportsnet East, RDS, TSN690 Radio). The Canadiens begin a three-game road trip Saturday when they play the Tampa Bay Lightning. They have a rematch against the Panthers on Monday before wrapping up the trip Wednesday in Buffalo.