PIT@MTL: Reversal of fortunes

MONTREAL - After a rough first period, Canadiens fans couldn't be blamed for feeling like their squad was down and out against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After all, two nights before, the Habs were shut out in their home opener and they headed for the locker room trailing 2-0 against Sidney Crosby and Co. after 20.
But the home team came roaring back to start the second, with Tomas Tatar scoring his first as a Hab - and the first home goal of the season - just seconds into the period and the Canadiens clawed their way back into a tough and tightly-fought duel, winning 4-3 in a shootout.

"We kept calm and continued to believe in ourselves and in our system," outlined Phillip Danault, whose Habs outshot the Penguins 19-4 in the middle frame and scored three goals in the process. "We created some sparks right from the start of the second and that helped us gain our momentum."
After Tatar broke the ice, Brendan Gallagher backhanded it past Penguins goalie Casey DeSmith to even the score at the 7:38 mark and Tatar added his second of the night just over a minute later to give the Habs their first lead.

And while they may have only stayed ahead for a shade over two minutes - Phil Kessel would even things up on the power play - the Habs knew they had accomplished the task of reversing their fortunes after coming out flat in the opening 20.
"Even before Claude came in [after the first period], we knew we weren't playing the right way or skating. We were going back to those bad habits from last year, and not throwing pucks at the net. You look at those goals; they're not that pretty, to be honest," described Jonathan Drouin, who earned his 100th career assist on Tatar's second marker. "You look at Gally's goal, he just turns around and shoots it and it goes in. Tatar's was from behind the goal line. It's just getting shots. That was his big message, get it to the net, get shots. You're not going to score from the perimeter. I think we did that in the second."

Placed on a line with Max Domi and Artturi Lehkonen, the Sainte-Agathe native felt the wind back in his sails and he had the results to prove it on Saturday.
"At one point in the second, something just happened, it felt really great," shared Drouin, who scored the shootout winner to cap off an exciting Saturday night at the rink. "I went back to my old ways of playing hockey and it was better.
"I felt great today, I felt good with my linemates. I'm just happy with the way we won. We were down 2-0 against a very good team. We have a lot of experience, that shows a lot of character. That's something we have to grow on."

The first star of the game, Tatar - adorned with a cape postgame to mark the achievement - and his linemates Danault and Gallagher offered up a stellar performance against the Penguins, but he refused to let the credit sit solely with his trio.
"The whole team pulled together. It wasn't just our line. Everybody played well starting in the second period," praised the Slovak winger, who enjoyed a three-point night (2G, 1A) with six shots on net in 21:30 of ice time. "We put a lot of pressure once the second period started, and I think everybody deserves the credit."

Antti Niemi, who started after it was announced that Carey Price was out with the flu, made some spectacular late-game saves to keep the Habs alive at 3-3 and stopped Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the shootout, earning accolades from Drouin for his 25-save effort.

"Very good again. I know from last year, he was great for us when Carey got hurt. He deserves the contract he got this summer. We're happy to have him," concluded Drouin. "He plays great, he works hard in practice. It's definitely nice for him to know those guys a bit for the shootout."