MONTREAL — It was inside this very arena in late June when Avalanche scouts were saying their prayers about Ryan O’Reilly.
With the 32nd pick in the NHL draft and the Detroit Red Wings on the clock, the Avs were thinking of every good luck charm they had so as not to hear O’Reilly’s name called by the Wings.
Thursday night at the Bell Centre, O’Reilly presented Exhibit A for why the Avs were so overjoyed to nab him with the 33rd pick. The 18-year-old center’s first career NHL goal proved the game-winner in the Avalanche’s 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in the Habs’ home opener.
Moments after linemate Cody McLeod knocked Canadiens star Scott Gomez off the puck in the corner, O’Reilly stormed the net manned by Carey Price and put home a loose rebound with 6:13 left to break a 2-2 tie.
O’Reilly said he will give the puck to his ailing grandmother, in a nursing home in Seaforth, Ontario.
“It happened so fast, I can’t really believe it,” said the gap-toothed O’Reilly, who also was solid again on the penalty kill and won 60 percent of his faceoffs. “Both linemates were working hard, and I was just sort of laying in the weeds doing nothing, and I just got a great pass and got a lucky bounce and put it in.”
The Avalanche, the Western Conference’s worst team last season, improved to 5-1-1 and is starting to gain attention around the league. No big deal, though, to goalie Craig Anderson.
“It’s just another two points to us,” Anderson said. “We hung in there and found a way tonight against a team with a lot of energy in their home opener.”
O’Reilly’s goal was part of a wild third period in which Canadiens fans were howling at referees Dave Jackson and Marc Joannette, first over the noncall for McLeod’s hit on Gomez, then a holding call on Hal Gill with 2:38 left.
But the Avs were also furious at the refs over the events leading to Tomas Plekanec’s tying goal at 8:26; first, play wasn’t stopped when a puck clearly hit the mesh behind the goal, and then Avs defender Kyle Quincey had his stick intentionally knocked out of his hands from behind by Montreal’s Max Pacioretty.
While the Canadiens seemed to think a boarding call should have gone against McLeod for his hit on Gomez, Avs coach Joe Sacco called it a “good, clean hit.”
“We just kept playing hard until we heard a whistle,” Sacco said. “Ryan had nice poise with the puck there and scored a nice goal for his first. He’s been working extremely hard.”
Said McLeod: “My nose was pinned up against the glass, with sticks in my back, and couldn’t really see what was going on, but Jonesie and O’Reilly made a great play.”
Milan Hejduk and Kyle Cumiskey scored late second-period goals, part of a period Sacco called one of his team’s best of the season.
Backing everything up again was Anderson, who had another outstanding performance with 29 saves.
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com
