Post Game: That's it from the Madison Square Garden! The Canadiens suddenly have life in the series and now the series is 2-1 looking towards the Game 4 to be played in New York on Sunday. Thanks for tuning in and be sure to keep visiting VAVEL for the latest coverage of the NHL Playoffs!!
Final: The game is over and the Canadiens are back in the series with a thrilling 3-2 win over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden! Much of that was due to the spectacular performance by Dustin Tokarski, but they also managed to get the win due to the execution in the final minutes of the game and the beginning of the OT.
OT - 18.48: A blast from the left side of the offensive side is headed to Lundqvist, there's a rebound and Galchenyuk placed the rebound into the net!!
OT - 18.48: The Canadiens scored and they won the game!!!!!
OT - 20.00: The OT starts as we look for a winner in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals!
OT Intermission: The Rangers are 1-0 in OT during the 2014 playoffs while the Canadiens are 2-1 so far when games go to extra-time.
OT Intermission: What a finish to the game!! The Canadiens grabbed the lead with almost three minutes left but the Rangers equalized with less than 30 seconds on the clock! In a weird way to finish the third period, both teams scored their second goal with the puck being deflected off the skate of players from the opposing team. We should be in for a thrilling OT period as the third game will be decided on the ET!
3rd - 00.00: The horn sounds and we're headed to an overtime here at Madison Square Garden!!
3rd - 15 secs: Tokarski makes another great save on a long-range shot from Matt Zuccarello!!
3rd - 28 secs: Chris Kreider thows off the puck in front of the net and it's deflected off the right skate of Emelin!
3rd - 28 secs: The Rangers have tied it!!!!!!!
3rd - 48 secs: Stepan with another shot and Tokarski makes another save!!!
3rd - 55 secs: What a spectacular save from Dustin Tokarski!! Martin St. Louis had a clear chance but the 24-year-old clears it out closing the angle!!
3rd - 1.06: Markov deflects the puck towards his netminder and there will be another faceoff for the Rangers on their attacking zone!!
3rd - 1.15: A shot from the blue line is deflected right on time by a Rangers' player!!
3rd - 1.31: The Rangers are sending Henrik Lundqvist to the bench and it's an offensive zone faceoff for the Rangers. Montreal is trying to play away from their goal and we should be in for some exciting final 91 seconds!!
3rd - 2.20: The Rangers can't get the puck and the Canadiens are trying to play away from their defensive zone.
3rd - 3:02: The puck goes in off the skate of Ryan McDonagh but the goal is given to Briere. Montreal has the lead and now they need to take care of it against a tough opposition!!
3rd - 3.02: Breire scores and the Canadiens are suddenly leading!!
3rd - 3.39: Rick Nash with a wrap-around and later Zuccarello has a great shot. but it's blocked!!
3rd - 4.34: Tokarski grabs the puck and hides it for a faceoff. A lot of intensity here in the final period in regulation!!
3rd - 5.25: A great block after a giveaway from Ryan McDonagh!! The Rangers committed a turnover and the Canadiens almost broke the tie!
3rd - 6.40: Lundsqvist with a great save against Tomas Vanek!! After the save and a deflection the Rangers cleared the puck out and they're moving towards the Canadiens' zone.
3rd - 7.21: Brendan Gallagher with another shot! He hustled for the puck and got a shot but it goes way off the ice deflected by a Rangers' defender.
3rd - 8.15: Brandon Prust is hit hard against the boards!! Montreal's forward has been very aggresive right from the start of the contest!!
3rd - 9.05: Three shots so far in the third for the Rangers and five for the Canadiens. It seems like the momentum is changing.
3rd - 9.23: Brendan Gallagher moves forward and puts a shot on goal but Lundqvist makes a good save. Faceoff in New York's defensive zone.
3rd - 10.11: A wrap-around it's no good and the Canadiens have saved from being down once again!!
3rd - 10.23: The Rangers gain control of the puck but Tokorski gloves it once again. Faceoff in Montreal's defensive zone.
3rd - 10.31: The Canadiens call a timeout to rest some of their players.
3rd - 10.40: Derek Stepan got closer to score with two great chances but it goes high and wide!!
3rd - 11.35: Gallagher went through all alone but a key defensive stop from Ryan McDonagh robbed the Canadiens' forward to have a breakaway against Lundqvist!!
3rd - 12.38: Pouliot with another chance!! His shot from the right goes wide and the Canadiens manage to clear the danger away.
3rd - 13.07: Plekanec with a shot from a tight angle!! Henrik Lundqvist covers the angle and there will be a faceoff for the Canadiens in New York's attacking zone.
3rd - 14.00: The Rangers are controlling the pace and the passing game so far in the third period. The Canadiens look lost on both ends of the ice and it's clear that New York seems to be much more fit towards the final minutes.
3rd - 15.10: Matt Zuccarello goes hard in front of the net and Tokorski is amazing to stop another shot once again! Three quality chances for the Rangers but they haven't been able to beat Tokorski so far in the third.
3rd - 15.25: Another shot near from the blueline and Tokorski with a pad stop!
3rd - 16.45: Rick Nash moves forward but he's unable to muster a show when he was in front of the net!
3rd - 17.40: Hagelin with a shot but Dustin Tokorski makes another great stop!!
3rd - 18.01: Gallagher comes off the box and the PP ends with no shots for the Rangers.
3rd - 18.30: Two quick chances for New York and it all finishes with a Derek Stepan shot that goes wide! A fast start to the final period for the Rangers!
3rd - 20.00: The final period starts with a PP for the New York Rangers!!
2nd Intermission: Despite the fact that the Canadiens are being outshot, they still have the advantage on the faceoff duels, leading 28-23.
2nd Intermission: The Rangers continue to have the advantage in terms of shooting. 13-9 in the second period and 27-13 overall.
2nd Intermission: The Canadiens have blocked 15 shots through the first two periods. The Rangers have done it only eight times.
2nd Intermission: The second period ends and against all odds, the Montreal Canadiens have managed to even things up thanks to a goal from Andrei Markov. However, the New York Rangers continue to look better and they've had the better chances thus far. The third period should be a thrilling one as both teams will look to get the go-ahead goal quickly!
2nd - 00.00: The second period ends and we're even at 1-1 after 40 minutes of action at Madison Square Garden!
2nd - 01.7 secs: Brendan Gallagher is called for a roughing penalty. The Rangers will start the third period on a PP, something that could be decisive.
2nd - 22 secs: Rick Nash with a great chance but he fails to score when he was inches closer to the goal!!
2nd - 59 secs: Eller with the shoot but it ricochets off the wall!!
2nd - 2.10: Tokorski with two consecutive saves!!! Montreal's goaltender continues to have a great performance!
2nd - 2.35: David Desharnais has a great chance and puts a finesse shot but Henrik Lundqvist saves it for another icing.
2nd - 2.58: Icing against the New York Rangers. Montreal will look to gain some momentum in the final minutes of the second period.
2nd - 4.15: Gallagher returns to the ice and the Rangers fail to take advantage of their PP. They're 4-for-11 so far in these series.
2nd - 4.33: Tokorski snaps a shot out of the air!! St. Louis finds Richards on the RW circle but Montreal's goaltender continues to be very solid.
2nd - 5.15: A good shift by the Rangers so far. Two shots have been blocked already and Tokorski continues to have a dominant performance between the pipes.
2nd - 6.16: Penalty coming up against the Montreal Canadiens. Brendan Gallagher is called for an interference and the Rangers have their first PP of the night.
2nd - 7.02: Montreal tries to get forward but it has been everything New York so far. Tokorski is emerging as the star of the game tonight with several spectaular saves that have kept the Canadiens on the game.
2nd - 7.40: A great play from Martin St. Louis and the puck goes just wide when Tokorski was already beaten!!!
2nd - 8.25: Derek Stepan comes off the box and both teams are at even strength.
2nd - 9.00: PK Subban with the shot but it goes wide! On the next play Gallagher takes a shot on goal but Lundqvist makes another great stop.
2nd - 9.31: Almost a full minute left in the PP and the Canadiens are still struggling on offense. That doesn't bode well for their chances tonight.
2nd - 10.25: Hooking call against Derek Stepan. Montreal will go on the powerplay for the second time tonight.
2nd - 11.01: Lundqvist with another save for the Rangers and in the other end, Tokorski makes a great pad stop for Montreal! The game is gaining in intensity!!
2nd - 11.42: Zuccarello with a great chance from the side of the net after a wrap-around but Tokorski saves it!
2nd - 12.05: PK Subban puts some heavy pressure on New York's offensive line and creates an offside so there will be a new faceoff in neutral zone.
2nd - 12.45: Max Pacioretty with a great pass to Brendan Gallagher but Henrik Lundqvist makes a great save from close range!
2nd - 13:20: Martin St. Louis has been producing in limited time so far, with two shots and an assist in a little over seven minutes on the ice for the Rangers.
2nd - 14.30: Another great spot from Tokarski!! The 24-year-old keeps bailing his time out of the game tonight
2nd - 15.40: Markov's goal didn't change the momentum and the Rangers continue to attack consistently. However, Dustin Tokarski continues to have a great game between the pipes for the Canadiens.
2nd - 16.40: Andrei Markov shot from the RW offensive circle after a great pass from the opposite side of the ice to drill it past Henrik Lundqvist.
2nd - 16.40: The Canadiens score and the game is tied!
2nd - 17.20: The Canadiens are trying to break out of their zone and they get closer to the goal, but Lundqvist clears with another save from close range!
2nd - 18.30: Tokarski with another great save against Hagelin!! The defense clears when the netminder was already beaten and the Rangers are very close to double their lead!!
2nd - 19.00: Zuccarello shoots but the puck hits the outside part of the goal!! The Rangers were inches closer to get the second goal of the game!
2nd - 19.10: The puck stays near Tokarski early in this second period.
2nd - 20.00: The Rangers win the faceoff and the second period starts!
1st Intermission: The Rangers are 8-1 when leading after the first period during this postseason. The Canadiens, on the other hand, are 0-4 when trailing after the first 20 minutes.
1st Intermission: One silver lining for the Canadiens has been the play of goaltender Dustin Tokarski. The 24-year-old has made several saves and his play has allowed Montreal to keep themselves in the game so far.
1st Intermission: The Rangers have a deserved lead so far after the first 20 minutes. They've been faster, more accurate and their passing and pace has been too much for the Canadiens to handle. Their strategy is paying dividends and they have a good lead - sustained by a good performance - after the first period.
1st Intermission: The Rangers have a 14-4 shot advantage after the first period.
1st - 0.00: The first period is over and the New York Rangers have a 1-0 lead over the Montreal Canadiens after the first 20 minutes!
1st - 45 secs: The Canadiens finally clear the puck out of their zone but the Rangers recovered it quickly. Their pace has been unsustainable so far.
1st - 1.25: The first period has been played almost entirely in the Canadiens' side of the ice and as a result, the Rangers have had plenty of chances. Luckily for Montreal, Tokarski has been amazing so far.
1st - 2.50: The Rangers have a 12-4 shot advantage so far.
1st - 3.40: Pouliot shoots from the side of the net and Tokarski stops him once again.
1st - 4.22: PK Subban lost the puck and the Rangers had a breakaway that was stopped in the first place by a defender but Carl Hagelin tipped the puck in to put New York on the driver seat!
1st - 4.22: The Rangers score and now they're ahead!!
1st - 4.55: Henrik Lundqvist with a spectacular save!!! Max Pacioretty with a one-timer near the faceoff circle but the Swede makes a great stop!!
1st - 5.30: The Canadiens seem unable to generate anything on offense. That's a huge issue considering they are already 0-2 down in the series.
1st - 6.45: The Rangers lead the shot department 11-2 so far. The game remains scoreless and that's largely due to Tokarski's great performance.
1st - 7.05: Tokarski with another two stops! What a performance by the Canadiens' goaltender so far.
1st - 7.32: Richards with a shot from the slot! It's easily stopped by Tokarski and there will be an icing for the Rangers.
1st - 8.20: The Rangers have controlled the shot department and the Canadiens have done the same thing with the faceoffs.
1st - 9.10: What a play by the Rangers! Zuccarello makes a great play and puts a no-look pass to Boyle who had plenty of space to shoot but the puck goes wide!
1st - 9.58: The Canadiens are trying to move the puck around looking for open spaces but they haven't been able to get anything going yet. The Rangers look in total control midway through the first.
1st - 11.00: What a pad stop by Tokarski!! Another great save by the Canadiens' netminder who has looked absolutely great so far!
1st - 11.40: Derek Stepan returns back to the bench and he seems fit to return to the action later tonight.
1st - 12.00: The powerplay is over and the Canadiens were unable to get a single shot with their man advantage. The game resumes and we're still scoreless almost midway through the first period.
1st - 13.00: What a great defense by the Rangers! The Special Teams are making a great job of protecting Lundqvist and blocking shots.
1st - 14.09: Powerplay for the Montreal Canadiens. First one of the game for the visiting team.
1st - 14.09: Daniel Carcillo receives a game misconduct!! New York's forward won't return to the game tonight
1st - 14.09: Both players are taken off to the penalty box and Daniel Carcillo is taken off the ice after a discussion with linesman Steve Miller.
1st - 14.09: There's a delayed penalty and there's also the first fight!!! Brandon Prust going against Dorsett!
1st - 15.00: Pacioretty with the shot but Richards blocks it to clear away the danger!
1st - 15.39: Tokarski with anover save from close range! Great coverage from the netminder after a shot from Ryan McDonagh.
1st - 16.00: The Rangers are getting near Tokarski's net early and often! That could lead to trouble for Montreal if New York gets slightly more accurate with their shooting.
1st - 16.25: Zuccarello shoots and it goes inches wide!
1st - 16.50: The game resumes with Stepan off the ice. Players from both teams are pushing the intensity up!
1st - 17.05: The game is stopped since Derek Stepan down on the ice after a late hit by Brandon Prust. He's taken off to receive a better look by the medical staff.
1st - 18.08: What a save for Montreal!! A lost puck is controlled by Zuccarello but the shot from close range is parried away by the netminder!
1st - 19.03: The Canadiens are controlling the game early on but the Rangers had a breakaway thanks to their forwards' speed. Something to look out later on.
1st - 19.19: Pacioretty with a close range shot!! Lundqvist saves it and there's an icing against the Rangers.
1st - 19.40: Icing against the Canadiens so the puck goes quickly near Montreal's goal.
1st - 20:00: The puck drops and the game goes underway!!
20.12 As expected, Tokarski starts for Montreal and Lundqvist does the same for the Rangers. 33th consecutive playoff start for the Swede.
20.10 It's USA's National Anthem now. The whole crowd signs together!!
20.09 Canada's National Anthem sounds all over the stadium.
20.04 It remains to be seen how the Montreal Canadiens will answer back after losing the first twwo games. They need to have a strong start and they need to put pressure on Henrik Lundqvist early and often if they want to have a chance.
20.00 18.000 fans are in the stands as the game will start and the teams are close to enter the ice!!
19.57 If Lundqvist gets another win, he'd conquer his 11th of the postseason, a category where he already leads the league on top of Los Angeles Kings' Jonathan Quick and Chicago Blackhawks' Corey Crawford. In case Tokarski ends up notching the W, it'd be his first career win in the playoffs in only his second game.
19.50 The teams are getting closer and closer to make their way to what it an absolutely packed Madison Square Garden!
19.35 Much of the Canadiens' chances lay over Max Paccioretty and PK Subban's shoulders. Pacioretty has been the only reliable scorer of the team throughout the postseason and Subban has been able to make things happen at both ends of the ice, putting the body on defense and taking chances on the other end.
19.30 The game is getting closer to its start and the fans – as well as the players – are eager to see the puck drop for the first time tonight!
19.28 Rangers’ goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is expected to be a force tonight between the posts for the home side and he spoke to the media after Game 2, where he said he has been able to handle the huge expectations the fans have on his shoulders. "You go out and you have a lot of expectations on you, but you put a lot of pressure on yourself so it's about finding the perfect place mentally where you feel like I can handle this, and you want to enjoy it at the same time," Lundqvist said. "But it's definitely a great feeling when you come together as a group and pull off a big win like this. It's awesome."
19.24 The Canadiens are likely to shake their offense up and the most important change would be the demotion of Thomas Vanek to the fourth line. Vanek has no points, only one shot and a minus-3 rating in these series and according to what happened in Wednesday’s practice, he would go from being in the first line to skate in the fourth.
19.21 No one in these series has been hotter than New York's defenseman Ryan McDonagh. The 24-year-old has six points (2G, 4A) in the first two games of the series and if he stays hot, the Rangers' chances of getting another win increase massively.
19.15 One of the players expected to feature in New York’s lineup is Chris Kreider and there aren’t few who believe his play has been a huge reason behind the team’s success in recent weeks. After returning to the lineup for Game 4 of the series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Rangers have gone 5-1 and he has sparked the offense with his gritty play.
19.12 If Montreal's offense doesn't click quickly, then the Canadiens will have a steep road ahead of themselves. Madison Square Garden has been very tough on visiting teams and today's game won't be the excepction.
19.10 The Madison Square Garden is expected to be absolutely packed for tonight’s game! With the way the Rangers have been playing as of late, it wouldn’t be strange to even see a full house for what is a pivotal game on their road to the Stanley Cup Finals.
19.07 Tokarski will have his second postseason appearance tonight and the first ever on the road. If he's not poised and the Rangers get an early lead, this game could be over sooner than later.
19.05 The Rangers, on the other hand, will have superstar goalie Henrik Lundqvist in goal. Lundqvist is coming off a 40-save performance in Game 2 and after a shaky regular season, he has been playing some of the best hockey of his life during this postseason run.
19.00 With Price unavailable, Montreal will have Dustin Tokarski between the posts for this pivotal encounter. The 24-year-old stopped 27 of 30 shots in Game 2 and participated in 10 regular season contests this year.
18.55 No injury will be bigger than the one sustained by Montreal’s netminder Carey Price. Price left Game 1 of the series after a heavy collision in the second period and has been discarded to return for the reminder of the clash against the Rangers.
18.50 Things aren’t very quiet in Montreal and according to head coach Michel Therrien. "Now I'm at a point where I have to make some decisions, we normally judge with goals and assists," Therrien said. "That's not always the way we do things, but if I see they've got chances, I like to stick with it. If I see it's the opposite, now I've got to take some decisions. Hopefully, by making some changes, something's going to happen."
18.43 Going back home is always a boost in a playoff series and the Rangers’ coach Alain Vigneault surely feels that way. "Having fan support is obviously huge at this time of the year. Unconditional love, it's something that's really beneficial to a team," Vigneault said after practice Wednesday. "It's so demanding on the ice. They could really help you energy-wise. It's a fun time."
18.38 As expected, there hasn’t been a lot of offense for Montreal but some players are worth noticing. Max Pacioretty has three goals in the past four games and Lars Eller has three points in the last four contests.
18.35 As mentioned earlier, Rick Nash is finally getting his groove back. After going scoreless in both series against the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins, Nash has scored twice in the two games against Montreal. He’s a big part of the offense and if the Rangers want to continue winning, Nash needs to continue playing at this level. He scored the GW goal on Game 2 of these series with a spectacular move:
18.30 New York’s lead is quite surprising, especially considering that prior to these playoff series, the Canadiens had won two of the last three games. Their last regular season victory was a 1-0 win on April 13th, 2014.
18.25 Here’s a video of the last game between the two teams. It was earlier this week, with the Rangers coming out on top 3-1 to give themselves a commanding 2-0 lead in the series.
18.20 New York is riding some heavy momentum in the series so far and it has been noticeable on both sides of the puck. Henrik Lundqvist has been nothing short of amazing, Rick Nash finally scored on consecutive games to end his scoring drought and the powerplay has been superb, finding the back of the net four times in ten chances.
18.15 The Canadiens, on the other hand, have their back against the wall and they are getting themselves into a deep hole. After dropping the first two contests at home – including a 7-2 defeat on the opener – and losing starting goaltender Carey Price due to an injury, the Habs will have to improve drastically if they want to turn things around on the road against a tough opponent.
18.10 The New York Rangers are coming on this game on a high note after their recent performances. They took the first two games of the series at the Bell Centre and based on how everything has unfolded so far, it wouldn’t be strange to see a swept here in the Big Apple.
18.05 Hello and welcome to the Live Coverage of the NHL Eastern Conference Finals here in VAVEL USA! My name is Juan Pablo Aravena (@jparavenarant on Twitter) and I will be bringing you the live commentary of the third game of the series between the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.