The Montreal Canadiens and Phoenix Coyotes don't play each other much. In fact, Thursday's game was the only one between the NHL Eastern and Western Conference teams that will be played all season.
The Canadiens probably wish they could play the Coyotes more often. After a 3-2 overtime win at Jobing.com Arena, Montreal beat Phoenix for the eight consecutive time.
Josh Gorges' slap shot got past Mike Smith only 1:45 into overtime as the Habs rallied from a 1-0 deficit for the win. Smith stopped 33 shots, but counterpart Carey Price stopped one more and allowed one less goal. Price thwarted many a Coyotes scoring opportunity.
Phoenix took a 1-0 lead at 5:43 of the first period on Mikkel Boedker's goal. But the Canadiens tied it with Brian Gionta's wrister at the 16:32 mark of the second.
Gionta overcame defensive pressure behind the next for a wrap-around shot.
After Price stopped a breakaway attempt by Taylor Pyatt of the Coyotes, Travis Moen took a pass from Gionta for a wrist shot goal with 2:14 left in the second. The shot went over Smith's glove. Moen had skated past the Coyotes' Martin Hanzal, who looked too winded to catch up.
Raffi Torres tied it up at 2 with a goal in the third period, the assist from Keith Yandle. But neither team could come up with a go-ahead goal in regulation, and that earned a point in the standings for each team.
The Coyotes remained winless in two overtime games to go with an 0-2 mark in games that go to shootouts. Phoenix (7-4-3) had 17 shots in the first period to Montreal's seven but ended the game with only two more than the Canadiens.