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Canadiens push Penguins to brink of elimination after Game 3 stunner

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Jeff Petry scores the game winner for Montreal for the second time in the qualifying round and Carey Price stands on his head en route to a 4-3 win in Game 3 and 2-1 series lead.

The Canadiens keep giving the Penguins all they can handle, and in Game 3, Pittsburgh couldn’t merely shake their heads and shrug their shoulders at a dominant Carey Price. Instead, after squandering a 3-1 lead, the Penguins must look inward, and get things together quickly, as the Canadiens lead the series 2-1 following a 4-3 win in Game 3.

[NBC 2020 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]

Canadiens take 2-1 series lead against Penguins after a Game 3 of twists and turns

If you enjoy twists and turns -- and maybe chaos? -- then Penguins - Canadiens Game 3 was your tonic.

To start things, Shea Weber showed some aggression to give the Canadiens a 1-0 lead. Special teams worked out well for the Penguins early, as Pittsburgh not only killed a delay of game penalty from challenging that Weber goal, but also caught the Habs flat-footed.

In less than a minute, Patric Hornqvist fired home a 1-1 power-play goal thanks to a beautiful pass by Evgeni Malkin. Jason Zucker then connected on another power-play goal 59 seconds later:

Once Teddy Blueger made it 3-1 early in the second period, the Penguins looked like they might be headed toward a big, authoritative win.

Maybe it would have stayed that way in a less dramatic contest, but not Game 3 of Penguins - Canadiens. Maybe a hard, un-penalized hit by Brandon Tanev on Jack Evans gave the Habs the righteous anger to rally:

Or maybe the Canadiens merely took advantage of some sloppiness from the Penguins, from Matt Murray to Jack Johnson. Either way, the Canadiens stunned the Penguins with two quick second-period goals to enter the intermission 3-3, and then Jeff Petry scored yet another huge goal in this best-of-five series.

Even with a late power-play opportunity, the Penguins couldn’t get much going once they fell behind 4-3.

Tough Game 3 for Penguins defense; Murray struggles vs. Canadiens

So, again, the main story doesn’t boil down to the Penguins vs. Carey Price, but that doesn’t mean goalies weren’t a talking point in Game 3. To be more exact, the Penguins might need to wonder a bit about Matt Murray.

Earlier in the Penguins - Canadiens series, it seemed like Matt Murray shook off some of his profound struggles from 2019-20. Mike Sullivan or others have more reason to worry about Murray after Game 3, though. Goals like another big Jeff Petry tally will leave people wondering if the Penguins might be wise to turn to Tristan Jarry now that they’re on the brink of elimination.

It wasn’t all on Murray, mind you. Other Penguins struggled, including polarizing defenseman Jack Johnson.

While Weber got caught on that Malkin-to-Hornqvist goal, he enjoyed one of the best performances of any Canadiens player, collecting a goal and two assists. But Game 3 was very much a team effort, and team win, for the Canadiens against the Penguins.

The Canadiens generally acquitted themselves very well against the Penguins at even-strength. Two of the Penguins’ three goals came on the power play, while the Canadiens scored all four of their Game 3 goals at even-strength. Plenty of storylines will revolve around the 12th-seed Canadiens being underdogs pushing the Penguins, and understandably so. But the Habs haven’t always played like traditional underdogs. At times during Game 3, they absolutely outplayed the Penguins.

For better or worse, this isn’t one of the recent back-to-back game situations, so the Penguins get until Friday to shake off the shock of this Game 3 loss to the Canadiens. They might need that time to find some answers against the Habs, too.

(5) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (12) Montreal Canadiens (MTL leads series 2-1)

Friday, Aug. 7: Penguins vs. Canadiens, 4 p.m. ET - NBCSN
Saturday, Aug. 8: Canadiens vs. Penguins*

* - If necessary

MORE:
2020 NHL Stanley Cup Qualifiers schedule


James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.