DETROIT (AP) Darren Helm’s second goal with 6:01 left in the third period broke a tie and lifted the Detroit Red Wings to a 3-2 comeback win over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.
Helm scored 1:12 after Justin Abdelkader pulled Detroit into a 2-all tie, scoring off his right skate on a goal that stood after video review.
Petr Mrazek made 21 saves for the Red Wings, whose 12-game point streak matches their longest since 2010.
The Atlantic Division-leading Canadiens have lost four straight, their worst skid in a season that started with a 9-0 record and 18 wins in their first 24 games.
Montreal’s Tomas Fleischmann scored a go-ahead goal 4:30 into the third period, but goaltender Dustin Tokarski couldn’t make it stand up. Tokarski stopped 26 shots in his first start of the season while replacing rookie Mike Condon, who has been filling in for the injured Carey Price. Condon gave up three goals in each of his last three games, all losses in regulation.
Helm broke a scoreless tie midway through the second period and Montreal’s Sven Andrighetto tied it a couple minutes later.
Fleischmann’s slap shot from the inside of the right circle beat Mrazek’s blocker. The winger went to the penalty box midway through the third, but Detroit didn’t take advantage. The Red Wings had another power play with 7:30 left and made the most of the opportunity off a faceoff won by Pavel Datsyuk. Henrik Zetterberg later had the puck and made a centering pass that Abdelkader redirected into the net with the outside of his right skate.
Montreal defenseman Greg Pateryn had a chance to clear the puck before the game-winning goal, but it went off Datsyuk and stayed in the zone. Abdelkader got to the puck, skated across the crease and lifted the puck past the sprawled-out Tokarski.
The Canadiens hurt their chances to extending the game beyond regulation because P.K. Subban was called for delay of game, putting him to the penalty box with 1:44 left. Montreal pulled Tokarski soon thereafter to have the same number of skaters on the ice, but couldn’t score to tie the game.
NOTES: Montreal had a lot of fans in Joe Louis Arena, chanting “Go Habs Go!” much to the dismay of fans in Detroit. ... Dan Petry, a former pitcher who helped the Detroit Tigers win the 1984 World Series, attended the game to watch his son, Montreal D Jeff Petry. ... Condon won nine of his first 14 starts this season. ... The Canadiens were leading their conference at the start of play on Dec. 10 for the first time since the 1991-92 season. ... Detroit drafted Fleischmann in 2002, with the No. 63 overall pick, and traded him to Washington two years later to acquire Robert Lang