Canadiens Beat Rangers 3-1 Behind 2 Power-Play Goals to Take Series Lead

After barely surviving Game 2, the Montreal Canadiens are back in control of the series.

The Atlantic Division winners took a 2-1 advantage in their first-round matchup thanks to a 3-1 win Sunday over the New York Rangers in Game 3.

Carey Price allowed just one late goal, but his defense deserves a lot of credit, as the Rangers had just 21 shots on goal all game. A pair of power-play goals from Artturi Lehkonen and Shea Weber helped the visitors take control, while Alexander Radulov extended the lead to 3-0 with his own score.

The Rangers avoided a shutout, but the Canadiens were clearly the better team in New York City.

Andrew Berkshire of Sportsnet made a bold statement after the game:

Montreal was on the brink of a 2-0 deficit in the series before tying things up with 18 seconds left in Game 2. Radulov came through with the game-winner to even the series. Two days later, the Habs have regained home-ice advantage and likely feel much better about their position going forward.

Meanwhile, the home struggles continue for the Rangers, as they dropped another game at Madison Square Garden.

The Rangers have had problems at home all year with a 21-16-4 mark that ranks as the worst among playoff teams. They seemed to once again lack energy and couldn't feed off the crowd for the win. The result was the sixth consecutive playoff loss at home.

ESPN's Linda Cohn summed up the difference:

Henrik Lundqvist continued his solid series despite facing an onslaught of chances for the third straight game.

As Douglas Gelevan of CBC Montreal noted, he did his best to keep the Rangers competitive early on:

He finished with 26 saves, but there was only so much he could do with so many scoring opportunities coming his way.

While power plays hadn't gone well for either team in the series, the extra-man advantage helped break the scoreless tie 37 minutes into the game. The Canadiens were 0-of-7 with the power play in the first two games, but they converted on their first chance in Game 3.

After Phillip Danault earned a delay-of-game penalty for using his hands on a faceoff late in the second period, Montreal responded with great passing that led to a Lehkonen goal.

NHL on NBC captured the puck movement leading to the score:

In the third period, a Mats Zuccarello high-sticking penalty led to a four-minute power play. Although it took almost the entire session, the Canadiens eventually broke through with a second goal, this time by Weber.

The Rangers finished 0-of-3 on power plays in the game and are now 0-of-10 in the series.

Radulov then continued his solid series with this impressive individual effort to make it 3-0:

One goal and one assist in the game gives him five points in the last two games.

New York finally got on to the board after pulling the goalie with three minutes remaining. A Brady Skjei goal broke the shutout and gave the squad some life in the closing minutes. But it was too little, too late as Montreal closed out the victory. 

The teams will have one more game in New York before returning to Montreal for Game 5. Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET at MSG. The Rangers will hope to even things up, while the Canadiens will try to effectively put the series away.