Cole Caufield scored the game-winning shootout goal as the host Montreal Canadiens recovered from blowing a three-goal lead to beat the Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers 4-3 on Saturday.

Brendan Gallagher, Sean Monahan and Joel Armia also scored for the Canadiens. Goaltender Sam Montembeault made 45 saves in addition to stopping all three shootout efforts he faced.

Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin each collected one goal and one assist and Adam Fox scored once for the Rangers, who have been middling for over a month with eight wins in their past 15 games. Goalie Jonathan Quick stopped 27 shots prior to the shootout.

Nine of Montreal's 17 wins this season have come in extra time, and this one was as thrilling as any thanks to Montembeault's heroics between the pipes -- he stopped six shots in the extra period -- and Caufield's game-winner.

Caufield was the lone skater to tally in the shootout, burying a snap shot that was fired as he appeared ready to try a deke to finish a back-and-forth game in which the teams traded scoring chances throughout.

Despite the Rangers holding the early momentum, the Canadiens built a 3-0 advantage, starting with Gallagher's sixth goal of the season at the 11:37 mark of the first -- a top-shelf offering from the left circle to snap a 24-game goal drought.

Then Monahan and Armia tallied 90 seconds apart.

Monahan notched his 10th marker of the season 69 seconds into the second period with a shot from the slot, and Armia potted his sixth of the campaign when he was left untouched in the slot.

The Rangers finally broke through just past the midway point of the second period when Trocheck deflected Erik Gustafsson's waist-high point shot for Trocheck's 10th goal of the season.

Panarin made it a one-goal game just over four minutes later with his 25th goal of the season.

Fox completed the comeback to 3-3 at 9:30 of the third period, blasting a snap shot for his fourth goal of the campaign.

--Field Level Media