Canadiens take 4-point lead in race for final playoff spot with comeback win

Nick Suzuki is leading the charge in all kinds of situations for the Montreal Canadiens.

Montreal's captain has galvanized his team's surge into the playoff picture with his offensive production since February.

And when the Canadiens needed him to step up on the penalty kill Saturday, turns out he excels at that, too. Suzuki scored a short-handed goal and added an assist as the Canadiens scored three third-period goals to beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 at a rowdy Bell Centre.

"We haven't used him a ton because we try to save him a little bit, he plays some pretty heavy minutes," veteran forward Brendan Gallagher said.

"But when he's needed, he's one of the best in every single situation.

"We feel very comfortable with him on the ice, and he obviously can make something happen at both ends."

The Canadiens, who hold the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, gave themselves a four-point cushion over the New York Rangers with six games remaining. 

Young Wabush Habs fan takes centre ice at the Bell Centre

The Rangers lost 4-0 to the host New Jersey Devils earlier on Saturday.

Montreal recorded its ninth third-period comeback this season, which leads the league.

"Just one goal, we've come back from worse," Suzuki said. "We got a confident group."

Suzuki has 31 points — 12 goals and 19 assists — in his last 20 games to rank second in NHL scoring since the 4 Nations Face-Off break. 

The Canadiens have gone 12-4-4 during that stretch.

The 25-year-old centre also pushed his season total to 83 points, becoming Montreal's first point-per-game player since Alex Kovalev in 2007-08.

On Saturday, he filled in on the penalty kill for winger Josh Anderson, who missed the game for "personal reasons" after telling reporters