Pittsburgh Penguins 2 – Montreal Canadiens 3, Game Four: The Script

It is now a best-of-three series.

The Montreal Canadiens came back in the third period to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2, tying at two the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

The Penguins outplayed the Habs in the first period even though Tom Pyatt was the first to score for Montreal at 2:34.

Maxime Talbot evened the score on a breakaway only one minute later. The center beat Jaroslav Halak five-hole with a backhand. Chris Kunitz scored the second for the visiting team at 5:18 in the first after a puck rebounded from his skate. The winger fanned the initial pass from Sidney Crosby, misplacing Halak and the rest of the defense who watched the puck slowly entering the net.

The Canadiens couldn’t change the situation in the second as they were outshot 11-3.

But early in the third, they bounced back with goals from Maxim Lapierre and Brian Gionta to gain the lead. Montreal’s net was besieged by Pittsburgh but the defense and Halak kept the puck away.

Game five it’s scheduled for Saturday night on the Mellon Arena, in Pittsburgh at 7:00 PM.

Now, here’s the game script:

The main characters:

The Hero: The Montreal Canadiens

Alongside Jaroslav Halak’s solid performance -as usual-, the Canadiens showed the attitude that have made of them the biggest franchise in hockey history.

They had the determination to come back from a 2-1 deficit in only two minutes. First with a well deserved wraparound by Maxim Lapierre, only 2:07 minutes into the third. The center played an amazing game, moving his feet throughout the 11:47 minutes he was on the ice, forechecking and crashing the net.

Then, 93 seconds later, Montreal got the lucky break winners usually get. Brian Gionta centered the puck but it ended up inside the net after deflecting on Kris Letang’s skate.

From that moment, the Habs applied Jacques Martin’s hold-on-to-the-lead system to perfection. They blocked six shots in the last 15 minutes of the game, limiting the Penguins to only nine shots in the final 20.

The Villain: The Referees

It has been the story so far in the series. Last night performance by the refs fired up the debate across the world of hockey. Conspiracy theories fly around everywhere.

Two non-called slashing penalties on Crosby, a doubtful tripping called on Mathieu Darche, a non-called interference after Andrei Kostitsyn got hit in the face, and the list goes on.

It didn’t have an impact on the final score but it was clearly that referees Paul Devorski and Eric Furlatt leaned the rink in favor of the Penguins.

The Sidekid: Hal Gill

He has been a truly unsung hero for the Canadiens, especially in the series against Pittsburgh. Throughout the season, the veteran defenceman had to resist the critics, badly argued in most cases. He responded when really matters: in the playoffs.

He has turned into a leader, a blocking machine and psychological weapon. Last night he led the defense with eight blocked shots –a total of 18 against the Penguins-, but more important, he got under Crosby’s skin, breaking his poise, pulling him out of the game one more time.

The Extra: Benoit Pouliot

He’s the only piece missing in the Habs’ machinery. Pouliot has shown heart and passion, but he needs to break the zero in the “Points” department.

Coach Jacques Martin has juggled him between lines but the winger still hasn’t found his rhythm. He is good forcing turnovers, but has failed to put the puck in the net.

Key Moment in the Plot: Maxim Lapierre’s goal

Only two minutes into the third period, the Habs shifted the momentum in their favor on their way to the victory. Lapierre’s wraparound and Gionta’s lucky game winning goal were a huge moral hit directly to the Penguins face.

The Canadiens now fly to Pittsburgh inspired and confident in building another upset against the reigning champion.

Game notes:

- The Canadiens intro at the Bell Centre featured once again the song Fix You by Coldplay, their regular throughout the season. The song had been changed since the beginning of the playoffs.

- As reported by RDS.ca, Andrei Markov travelled with the rest of the team to Pittsburgh.

- The Canadiens have collected more than 30 shots only three times in 11 games of the playoffs.

The quotes:

“We have nothing to lose. We're not even supposed to be here. No one gave us a chance to go through the first round.” – Jaroslav Halak.

“Third period, wow! The momentum kind of built, and that's where the crowd can help. They were on their toes the whole period and we just fed off it and kept going.” – Michael Cammalleri.

“They hung around. I guess if you look at it, that's probably the difference.” – Sidney Crosby.

All quotations from NHL.com game recap.