Kozlov ties, nearly wins for Florida

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Game Information

Arena: Bell Centre Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Referees: ChrisLee, BillMcCreary Linesmen: GregDevorski, BradKovachik

Attendance: 20,428 (96.0% full)

Team Stat Comparison
188	Goals	208
221	Goals Against	192
52	Power Play Goals	55
51	Power Play Goals Allowed	55
7	Shorthanded Goals	5
12	Shorthanded Goals Allowed	6
1192	Penalty Minutes	1039
15	Average Penalty Minutes	13

Scoring Summary
1ST PERIOD			FLA	MON
No scoring this period			0	0
2ND PERIOD			FLA	MON
No scoring this period			0	0
3RD PERIOD			FLA	MON
4:12		Michael Ryder (Power Play) Assists: Patrice Brisebois, Sheldon Souray	0	1
18:48		Viktor Kozlov (Power Play) Assists: Jay Bouwmeester, Stephen Weiss	1	1
OT			FLA	MON
No scoring this period			1	1

MONTREAL (AP) -- The Florida Panthers were willing to take a risk to change their third-period luck.

Viktor Kozlov scored with 1:11 left in the third period to lift Florida to a 1-1 tie with the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

With Montreal defenseman Craig Rivet off for holding at 17:43, Kozlov scored his fifth of the season as the Panthers enjoyed a 6-on-4 advantage after pulling goalie Roberto Luongo.

"I had a feeling it would work," Florida coach Rick Dudley said. "Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."

The Panthers had blown third-period leads in each of their last two games.

"That's the point of playing in this league -- playing until the end," Kozlov said.

Kozlov missed a chance at the winner late in overtime when his backhand hit the post.

"Better luck next time," he said.

Florida, which lost 4-3 in Buffalo the night before, remained winless in their last three (0-1-2).

"We battled back and we showed some character," said Luongo, who made 23 saves.

Kozlov's goal spoiled Jose Theodore's shutout bid, and Rivet was booed every time he touched the puck the rest of the way.

"Maybe for some Craig is an easy target, but I think it was an iffy call," Canadiens coach Claude Julien said.

Theodore is tied for the league lead with four shutouts and has allowed one goal or less in six of his eight wins.

"We should have the two points," Theodore said. "We had the win and we lost it in the final minute."

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Eric Gagne dropped the puck during a ceremonial faceoff before the game.

The NL Cy Young Award winner, Gagne received a standing ovation that lasted over a minute as he stepped onto the ice to the sound of "Welcome to the Jungle", the Guns 'N Roses' song that signals each relief appearance at Dodger Stadium.

"I had goose bumps. It put me in my atmosphere," Gagne said of the song selection for his introduction. "The ovation was amazing. I didn't know what to do after a minute. It seemed like an hour. It was really special."

Canadiens rookie Michael Ryder scored for the second straight game to break a scoreless tie 4:12 into the third.

Montreal failed in its bid to win consecutive games for the first time in six weeks. The Canadiens haven't won back-to-back games since Oct. 20-23.

Theodore stopped 36 shots, including a pad save to deny Kristian Huselius on a breakaway midway through the third period.

Ryder's power-play goal came just after Sheldon Souray's shot hit the crossbar. Ryder took Patrice Brisebois' pass behind Florida's net and came out front to put a wraparound shot through Luongo's legs for his fifth goal of the season.

Game notes
The Panthers are 4-5-2 since general manager Rick Dudley took over coaching duties after he fired Mike Keenan on Nov. 9. ... Canadiens D Andrei Markov missed the game because of a bruised ankle, suffered when he was struck by a shot one night earlier. ... Gagne, a native of Mascouche, Quebec, and a competitive hockey player until he was 18 years old, wore a Canadiens jersey with his name and familiar No. 38. "I was born and raised in Quebec, so everybody who wants to play hockey wants to play for the Canadiens," Gagne said. "It's pretty special to have your name on the back of the Canadiens' jersey.