NHL Roundup : Whalers Beat Canadiens, 5-4, in Overtime, and Gain Ground

Ron Francis scored on a backhander with three seconds left in overtime Monday night at Montreal to lift the Hartford Whalers to a 5-4 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.

The victory moved the second-place Whalers to within three points of Montreal in the Adams Division standings.

Montreal’s Bob Gainey forced overtime at 11:51 of the third period when Hartford netminder Mike Liut stopped his shot but dropped the puck into the net.

Hartford carried a 4-3 lead into the third period after Dean Evason scored twice in the second period.

Winnipeg 5, Vancouver 4--Brian Mullen scored 41 seconds into the third period to cap a four-goal rally, and the Jets won their seventh straight game by turning back the Canucks at Winnipeg.

Paul MacLean, Gilles Hamel, and Hawerchuk scored second-period goals as the Jets battled back from a 4-1 deficit. Tony Tanti scored three goals for Vancouver.

Jet goaltender Steve Penney, in relief of rookie Daniel Berthiaume, recorded his first victory of the season. Penney, obtained in an off-season trade with Montreal, made brilliant third-period saves against Vancouver’s Rich Sutter and David Bruce to preserve the victory.