MONTREAL — Michael Cammalleri and the Canadiens finally solved Michael Leighton.
Cammalleri scored in the first period to end Montreal’s two-game drought against Leighton, leading the Canadiens to a 5-1 win over the Flyers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final.
Tom Pyatt and Dominic Moore had a goal and assist apiece for Montreal, which earned its first win in the series. Brian Gionta and Marc-Andre Bergeron also scored as Leighton’s shutout streak was snapped at 172:05.
“We are a much better team when our backs are against the wall,” Gionta said. “We’ve dealt with it all year.”
Philadelphia’s Simon Gagne foiled Jaroslav Halak’s shutout bid by scoring 8:22 into the third period. Leighton stopped 34 shots.
The Flyers had won six straight, dating to their second-round series win over Boston during which they overcame a 3-0 series deficit. It was Leighton’s first loss in five starts since taking over after Brian Boucher hurt his knee.
Cammalleri got it started with his team-leading 13th goal, opening the scoring 7:05 into the game. Halak finished with 25 saves.
Playing their first game at home in 10 days, the Habs outshot Philadelphia 28-13 in building a 3-0 lead on Moore’s goal midway through the second period. Moore’s score sent the raucous crowd into a fury, leading to derisive chants of “Leighton! Leighton!”
Game 4 of the best-of-seven series is tomorrow in Montreal.
The Canadiens’ strategy to get more traffic in front to make it harder on Leighton worked to perfection on their opening goal.
Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn were parked in front in the first when PK Subban took a slap shot from the right point. Kostitsyn caught a piece of the shot and deflected it wide, but the puck took a strange carom off the end board and bounced directly to Cammalleri at the left post, where he snapped it in off Leighton’s glove.
During Leighton’s shutout streak, the Flyers outscored their opponents 13-0, dating to their 4-3 win against Boston in Game 7 of their second-round series.
Pyatt then scored during a scramble in front 10 minutes later, and after Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger uncharacteristically coughed up the puck in his own end. The puck rolled to Moore, whose shot from the right circle was tipped in front by Maxim Lapierre and off the inside of the right post.