For a while there, it looked like the Montreal Canadiens were going to lose another game in another painful way.
The Tampa Bay Lightning turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead during a staggering 21-second span, but the Canadiens ultimately shook off the shock to win 4-3 via a shootout.
No, this isn’t the prettiest win, but standings points are more important than style points.
With this desperately needed win - ending a losing streak of six games - Montreal keeps the revolving door atop the Atlantic Division moving, as they’re back at No. 1. And, hey, it might help them shake Tampa Bay’s recent mental edge to boot:
.@CanadiensMTL earned their 1st regular-season win vs TBL since exactly 2 years ago on 12/28/13, ending a 7-game regular-season skid (0-5-2)
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 29, 2015
The gap is small enough that this might be a short-lived advantage, but Montreal needed this ... badly.
Here’s what the Atlantic’s top six looks like as of this writing.
Montreal: 21-14-3, 45 points, 38 games played
Florida: 20-12-4, 44 points, 36 GP
Detroit: 18-11-7, 43 points, 36 GP
Boston: 19-12-4, 42 points, 35 GP
Ottawa: 18-12-6, 42 points, 36 GP
Tampa Bay: 18-15-4, 40 points, 37 GP
This loss stings for the Lightning, yet it was also a statement that they might not fade away so easily.
Stamkos: "In my eyes, we gave away a couple points tonight." #tblightning
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) December 29, 2015