Schneider lifts Habs over Flyers in OT
Last Updated: Saturday, February 28, 2009 | 1:06 AM ET
CBC Sports
Mathieu Schneider, second from left, celebrates his OT winner with Montreal teammates. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)Mathieu Schneider's power-play goal in overtime gave the Montreal Canadiens a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Friday night in Philadelphia.
Taking a feed from Alex Kovalev at the right point, Schneider moved into the faceoff circle and beat Antero Niittymaki with a wrist shot to the short side, sending Montreal to its third straight victory.
It was a crafty play by the veteran defenceman, who earlier in the power play tried a pair of slapshots that were both gloved by Niittymaki.
"I just tried to hang on and just get a wrister through with a screen," Schneider said after potting his third goal in five games since the Habs repatriated him via a trade with Atlanta on Feb. 16. He started his career with the Canadiens in 1987.
Tomas Plekanec, Tom Kostopoulos and Kovalev scored in the first period to erase an early 2-0 deficit and help the Canadiens to their sixth consecutive regular-season win in Philly, but just their second victory in their last dozen road games overall.
Jaroslav Halak made 35 saves to win for the fourth time in five starts.
The fifth-place Habs (33-22-7) picked up an important two points in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race, closing to within three points of fourth-place Philadelphia while opening up a four-point advantage on ninth-place Carolina.
Montreal hosts the NHL-leading San Jose Sharks on Saturday night (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 6:30 p.m. ET).
Awkward situation for Metropolit
Joffrey Lupul and Mike Richards scored early first-period goals for the Flyers, and Simon Gagne netted the equalizer on a breakaway in the second.
Niittymaki stopped 32 shots but couldn't prevent Philadelphia (33-17-10) from losing for just the third time in 10 games.
The Flyers, who came in boasting the fifth-ranked power play in the NHL, wasted all eight opportunities with the man advantage, including a pair of 5-on-3 chances. Montreal went 2-for-5 with its 17th-ranked power play.
"Special teams was the difference and they won it," Philadelphia coach John Stevens said.
An awkward situation played out in the game as forward Glen Metropolit, who was waived by the Flyers on Thursday and promptly scooped up by Montreal on Friday, suited up for the Canadiens in his former home rink.
Philadelphia was forced to put Metropolit and Ossi Vaananen on waivers to make room under the salary cap for pricey forward Danny Briere, who is on the verge of returning from injury. Vaananen was claimed by the Vancouver Canucks.
Metropolit finished with a minus-1 rating and took an early high-sticking penalty while logging just under 12 minutes of ice time.
"You know how they say: No friends on the ice," Metropolit said. "I just tried to compete tonight and just worry about the task at hand."
Controversial OT call
The boisterous Philly crowd didn't even have a chance to settle in for this matchup of 2008 playoff combatants (the Flyers won the second-round series in five games) before Lupul scored his 18th goal 28 seconds in. Richards's 24th made it 2-0 before the nine-minute mark.
Montreal, though, roared into the lead with three goals in a span of 2:04 late in the period. Plekanec — on the power play — and Kostopoulos scored 13 seconds apart to tie it, and Kovalev gave the Habs their first lead when his wrist shot from the off wing hit Niittymaki's shoulder, went up in the air and bounced in for his 15th.
Gagne tied it 3-3 with just over six minutes left in the second. Intercepting the puck from Patrice Brisebois at the Philly blue-line, Gagne raced in alone, deked to his left and somehow slid the puck past a stunned Halak, who appeared to have read the move perfectly.
After a scoreless third period, Montreal got an opening in overtime when the Flyers' Scottie Upshall was whistled for goaltender interference for clipping Halak on a drive to the net. The contact didn't appear malicious, but a protesting Upshall was sent off anyway.
"I didn't think I went in and intentionally hit the goalie," Upshall said. "From one angle, it looked like I might have clipped the back of his mask, but I know I hit the back of his leg. I got tripped up."
