Mika Zibanejad's shootout goal sends Rangers past Canadiens

Mika Zibanejad scored in the second round of the shootout and the visiting New York Rangers recorded a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.

Zibanejad scored the only goal of the shootout when he made a wide move and then cut to his left. After getting Montreal goalie Sam Montembeault to commit to the right side, Zibanejad slid a backhander into the slightly vacated left side of the net.

Igor Shesterkin made Zibanejad's clutch goal hold up by making a save on Alex Belzile in the third round of the shootout.

Zibanejad's clutch goal helped the Rangers avoid a third straight loss and improve to 3-5-1 in their past nine contests.

Patrick Kane recorded his first two points since being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks last week. He scored the tying goal on a power play late in the second period and recorded the secondary assist on Jacob Trouba's tying tally early in the second.

Alexis Lafreniere scored a power-play goal for the Rangers while Shesterkin made 23 saves, including a stop on Josh Anderson's breakaway with about 9 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

Rookie Kaiden Guhle scored Montreal's first goal on the opening shift before Belzile tallied late in the first. Anderson netted a short-handed goal midway through the second as the Canadiens fell to 0-3-2 in their past five with each game being decided by one goal.

Montembeault stopped 30 shots.

Following a giveaway by New York defenseman Adam Fox, Guhle cut to the net and lifted the puck over Shesterkin's right shoulder 35 seconds in.

New York tied it when Lafreniere tipped in a blast by Fox for his ninth goal in the past 19 games 3:16 into the game.

Montreal took a 2-1 lead with 2:58 left when Belzile finished off an odd-man rush by lifting the puck over Shesterkin from the middle of the left circle.

Trouba tied it 43 seconds into the second on a shot from the right circle that soared over Montembeault's shoulder after Panarin retrieved a loose puck.

Following a giveaway by Kane along the half boards in the offensive zone, Anderson finished off a breakaway with 6:40 remaining in the third for a 3-2

Montreal lead.

A little over a minute after his giveaway, Kane forged a 3-3 tie when he ripped a wrister from the left circle over Montembeault's left shoulder.