Canadiens Lose 4-3 in OT to Devils After Blowing Lead

The Montreal Canadiens suffered a 4-3 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, squandering a late third-period lead in a game that extended their losing streak to two.

The Devils, who improved to 10-4-1 with the victory, ended the Canadiens' four-game point streak. Montreal, now 9-3-1, had controlled much of the contest but faltered in the final minutes. With the Devils pulling goaltender Jacob Markstrom for an extra attacker, Timo Meier tied the score at 3-3 with 1:07 remaining in regulation, jamming home a loose puck during a scramble in front of Canadiens netminder Jakub Dobes.

The game headed to overtime, where a turnover at the Devils' blue line proved decisive. Forward Alex Newhook bobbled the puck, allowing Jesper Bratt to seize it and break away. Bratt deked Dobes and slipped a backhand through his pads 1:33 into the extra frame for the winner. The miscue involved Newhook and linemate Ivan Demidov, both of whom were slow to recover defensively.

Montreal had built a 3-2 advantage earlier in the third period. Jake Evans evened the score at 2-2 just 59 seconds in, firing a low shot through Markstrom's five-hole...