NHL roundup: Canadiens edge Rangers in Original Six clash, Stars and Senators secure wins

On Sunday, the National Hockey League (NHL) featured only three games, with the highlight being a classic matchup between the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers. Here is a recap of the three contests that took place.

Montreal Canadiens 5-4 New York Rangers (OT)

The New York Rangers, despite taking the lead on four occasions, suffered a 5-4 defeat to the Montreal Canadiens in overtime. The Rangers opened the scoring midway through the first period with a goal from Alexis Lafreniere.

However, the Canadiens quickly equalized less than three minutes later through Brendan Gallagher. The back-and-forth continued as Will Cuylle restored the Rangers' lead just under a minute later.

In the second period, Christian Dvorak leveled the score for Montreal, building on his earlier assist. Yet, the Rangers responded with Mika Zibanejad scoring on a power play to regain the advantage.

The drama persisted, with Nick Suzuki equalizing again for the Canadiens with just under five minutes remaining in the period, only for Chris Kreider to put the Rangers back in front shortly thereafter.

The third period saw the Canadiens assert their dominance, outshooting the Rangers 22-11 as they sought their fourth equalizer. With 7:08 left in regulation, Juraj Slafkovsky scored to tie the game once more, necessitating overtime. Just 3:20 into the extra period, Patrik Laine netted the decisive goal for Montreal, securing a remarkable victory.

This win places the Canadiens just one point behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final playoff position and allows them to surpass the Rangers in the standings, who now find themselves two points adrift.

Senators narrowly defeat Devils, Stars overpower Red Wings

In another Sunday matchup, the Ottawa Senators edged out the New Jersey Devils with a score of 2-1. Zack Ostapchuk scored for the Senators midway through the second period, despite the team being outshot 24-4 in the first period.

Mavrik Bourque netted a third goal just a minute later, placing Dallas in a dominant position. The second period passed without any goals, even though Detroit managed to register 20 shots during that time.

They found the back of the net eight minutes before the conclusion of the game, as Simon Edvinsson provided a glimmer of hope for his team. However, that hope was short-lived, as Wyatt Johnston added a fourth goal for the Stars, finalizing the scoreline.

Following a commendable stretch, the Red Wings have now suffered defeats in three of their last four games, causing them to drop in the Eastern Conference standings. Conversely, the victory for Dallas halted a two-game losing streak and propelled them to fourth place in the Western Conference.