Music: {allcanada} Canadiens edge Panthers, clinch playoff berth

Saturday, March 28, 2015

{allcanada} Canadiens edge Panthers, clinch playoff berth

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MONTREAL -- Max Pacioretty scored with 2:01 remaining in overtime to give the Montreal Canadiens a berth into the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 3-2 win against the Florida Panthers on Saturday.

Pacioretty scored his team-leading 36th goal when he sent a pass from David Desharnais past Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo seven seconds after Florida center Vincent Trocheck was called for high-sticking Montreal's Lars Eller.

Carey Price made 21 saves for the Canadiens (47-21-8), who lead the Eastern Conference with 102 points, one ahead of the New York Rangers, who lost 4-2 to the Boston Bruins on Saturday.

Florida (34-26-15) has 83 points and is four behind the Bruins for the second wild card into the playoffs from the East.

Luongo made a sensational save on Canadiens forward Tomas Plekanec with 2:46 remaining in the third period to allow Florida to get a point.

Luongo reached behind himself with his glove and swatted the puck out of the air and clear of the goal line after Plekanec's shot from the right side on a pass from Alex Galchenyuk hit him on the left side above his hip and fell back toward the net.

Galchenyuk scored his 20th goal on a power play at 14:35 of the second to tie the game 2-2.

Galchenyuk stepped up at the right side of the net and sent a wrist shot over Luongo inside the right post for his first goal in 13 games.

Florida center Aleksander Barkov scored twice in the second period for his first multi-goal game in 118 NHL games. Jonathan Huberdeau assisted on both goals.

Eller gave Montreal a 1-0 lead with his 12th goal at 17:37 of the first, one second after Panthers forward Jimmy Hayes' unsportsmanlike conduct penalty expired.

Panthers forward Jaromir Jagr got his 1,076th NHL assist and 1,794th point on Barkov's first goal of the game at 6:09 of the second.

Barkov was left unmarked to take a pass from Huberdeau and drive the slot before putting a backhand shot over Price's glove for his 13th goal to tie the game 1-1.

Jagr is three assists behind Adam Oates (1,079) for sixth place in League history. He is four points behind Ron Francis (1,798) for fourth place.

Barkov made it 2-1 at 13:11 of the second when he scored on Florida's first power-play opportunity. He deflected Huberdeau's low shot up and past Price for his 14th goal and second in a span of 7:02.

Hayes was still in the penalty box and was about to step onto the ice when Eller scored. Defenseman Jeff Petry got his first assist in 13 games with the Canadiens.

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