National Hockey League
Montreal 3, Pittsburgh 2
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, August 1, 2020
Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
Referees: Gord Dwyer, Jean Hebert
Linesmen: Steve Barton, Devin Berg
Attendance: N/A

Jeff Petry scored at 13:57 of overtime Saturday to give the Montreal Canadiens a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of a qualifying round series in Toronto.

On the winner, Brendan Gallagher's centering pass was deflected toward the high slot. Petry's shot from above the right hash marks sailed past Penguins goaltender Matt Murray.

Montreal blew an early two-goal lead after Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Nick Suzuki scored in the first. Carey Price finished with 39 saves for the Canadiens.

Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust scored in the second period for Pittsburgh. Murray, who wasn't publicly announced as the Game 1 starter until earlier Saturday, finished with 32 saves.

The consensus seems to be that Montreal's fortunes against the Penguins heavily rest with Price's play, and he was stellar in the first period, stopping all 18 shots he faced.

His teammates backed him by taking a 2-0 lead.

At 11:27 of the first period, Kotkaniemi got to a rebound right in front. He poked at the puck, and it bounded in past Murray to make it 1-0.

In the second period, after Pittsburgh defenseman Brian Dumoulin turned the puck over in the Canadiens end, Suzuki gathered the puck and drove down the left side. From the left circle, his wrist shot went over Murray's glove to push it to 2-0 at 6:53.

The Penguins climbed back into things in the second, tying it with two goals.

At 9:55, Crosby, from Price's left and behind the extended goal line, banked the puck in off Price's skate to make it 2-1.

During a power play at 12:34, a shot from the left point by Jared McCann went off teammate Patric Hornqvist in front of the net. Rust pounced on the puck at the top of the crease and poked it past Price for a 2-2 tie.

Pittsburgh's Conor Sheary missed the net with a wide shot on a penalty shot with 3:03 left in regulation after he got hooked by Petry during a breakaway.

It was Montreal's turn at 6:46 of overtime, as Jonathan Drouin had the puck roll off his stick after he was awarded a penalty shot.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Montreal   Pittsburgh
Jesperi Kotkaniemi 1 Points Sidney Crosby 1
Jesperi Kotkaniemi 1 Goals Sidney Crosby 1
Paul Byron 1 Assists Jake Guentzel 1
N/A Power Play Goals Bryan Rust 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Carey Price .951 Save Percentage Matt Murray .914
Carey Price 39 Saves Matt Murray 32
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Montreal 35 3 0-2 6-7 14 33
Pittsburgh 41 2 1-7 2-2 4 34
Upcoming Games
  • Pittsburgh will play their next game at home against Montreal. The Penguins have a W/L % of .590 after a win and .567 after a loss.
  • Montreal will play their next game on the road against Pittsburgh. The Canadiens have a W/L % of .469 after a win and .410 after a loss.