Ducks blow lead, battle back to top Canadiens

Cutter Gauthier's goal with 2:30 left broke a tie and the Anaheim Ducks held on for a 4-3 win over the host Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night.

Leo Carlsson had two goals and an assist and Troy Terry a goal and two assists in his return after missing nine games with an upper-body injury for the Ducks, who had lost three of their previous four. Chris Kreider had two assists and Lukas Dostal made 27 saves.

Nick Suzuki had a goal and an assist and Alex Newhook and Cole Caufield also scored for the Canadiens, who lost their second straight. Jacob Fowler stopped 24 shots.

Gauthier's winner was set up by a backhand pass from Jeffrey Viel, who was along the right boards. Gauthier took the pass in the right circle and whipped a shot past Fowler.

The game was tied 3-3 at the end of the second after five goals were scored in the middle period.

Terry tied the game at 3-3 with 4:21 left in the second period when his backhand shot from the inside edge of the right circle deflected in off the stick of Montreal's Alexandre Texier.

After Carlsson scored the game's first two goals -- one 7:46 into the game and the other 27 seconds into the second period -- Montreal scored three straight goals to take the lead.

Newhook put the Canadiens on the board 1:33 into the second, Caufield tied it a minute later and Suzuki gave Montreal a 3-2 lead with 6:54 remaining in the middle period.

Carlsson gave Anaheim a 1-0 lead 7:46 into the game.

The Canadiens twice hit goal posts a little more than a minute apart in the first period. Caufield hit the post with a little over six minutes left in the opening period and Newhook's tip of defenseman Noah Dobson's shot hit the post with around five minutes remaining in the frame.

Veteran defenseman John Carlson made his Anaheim debut after being acquired from the Washington Capitals. He had been sidelined with a lower-body injury.

Montreal's Brendan Gallagher returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the first time in his career in Saturday night's 4-2 home loss to the San Jose Sharks.