Habs : Plekanec scores 2 goals, Canadiens top Jackets

Source : Espn

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Tomas Plekanec found his scoring touch just in time for the Montreal Canadiens.
Plekanec scored with 1:07 left to break a tie and added an empty-net goal to give the Canadiens a 5-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.

The Canadiens squandered a 3-0 lead and were having all they could handle in holding off the Blue Jackets' young forwards when Plekanec came over the blue line and fooled goalie Sergei Bobrovsky by taking a quick shot along the ice instead of passing to open winger Brandon Prust.

The puck went in off the goal post to give Montreal (5-2) its fourth straight win.

"I tried a no-look shot on the goalie," said Plekanec, who had been off to a slow start with only one goal in six games. "I had Prust on the left side, but I wanted to make sure I didn't make a turnover, so I put it on the net. I kind of got lucky."

The Blue Jackets got a power play in the final minute, but Plekanec was sent in alone by Prust for the empty-net goal with 16 seconds remaining. It was Montreal's second short-handed goal of the game.
"It's great, especially after a slow start for myself and our line," he said.

Michael Bournival got his first NHL goal, and Rene Bourque also scored for Montreal (5-2), which has won four in a row. P.K. Subban had two assists for 10 points in his last six games

Rookie Boone Jenner scored his first two NHL goals, and Ryan Johansen got his first of the season for Columbus (2-4), which has lost three in a row.

Jenner scored both of his goals by going to the net to pick up rebounds on power plays.
The first came during the same Columbus man advantage that Markov scored a short-handed goal on at 6:52 of the second to put the Canadiens up by three goals.

"It was pretty special," Jenner said. "We got some momentum off of it, so it was good.
"It's a pretty cool building to get it in. I watched the Habs a lot growing up in Ontario. So it's kind of cool. It's one I'll remember for sure."

The Blue Jackets, who were missing Marian Gaborik (flu) and Nathan Horton (shoulder), came out with energy but quickly trailed 2-0.

"We're a team that never quits," the 20-year-old Jenner said. "We're not going to change our game no matter what the score is. We were down 3-0 and we started to pick it up. Getting a couple of power plays got us rolling a bit."

Bourque, who has also been battling the flu, was alone at the far blue line during a power play, and took a long pass up the middle from Subban that turned into a breakaway goal only 4:38 in.

Subban drew two opponents away to get the puck to Andrei Markov for a clever cross-ice pass that
Bournival didn't get all of, but the puck slid through Bobrovsky's pads at 12:01.

Markov made it 3-0 with a short-handed goal as his weak shot from the point went off a stick and past Bobrovsky 6:52 into the second.

Columbus struck back on the same power play as Jenner went to the net to pick up Johansen's rebound and lift it past Carey Price at 7:41. Johansen elected to shoot on a 2-on-1 rush and scored his first of the season at 17:11.

Jenner tied it on the power play 3:42 into the third when he scooped up Mark Letestu's rebound off Price's shoulder and put a backhanded shot under the crossbar.

It looked to be headed for overtime when Plekanec surprised Bobrovsky.

"He made it look like he was going to dish it off to the guy going with speed on the other side, and then he just threw it across his body," Price said of the goal. "I know it caught (Bobrovsky) by surprise because he was a good couple of feet off where he should have been."

Game notes

Sean Collins, who made his first start of the season, replaced Gaborik in the lineup. ... Had Bourque not played, defenseman Nathan Beaulieu would have skated on the fourth line. Beaulieu was scratched. ... There was no update from the Canadiens on Max Pacioretty, who was injured Tuesday at Winnipeg. ... Linesman Derek Amell worked his 1,000th NHL game.

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Habs :Carey Price has 35 saves as Canadiens blank Jets

Source : Espn

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 Carey Price didn't want to hear praise after his first shutout of the season.

He still got plenty from his teammates.

Price made 36 saves and Montreal beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-0 on Tuesday.

Canadiens captain Brian Gionta said the win only happened because of their goaltender.

"We had a great start, but the second and third (periods) we kind of laid back a little too much," said Gionta, who played his 700th career game after he missed the previous game to attend to family matters in Montreal.

"They adjusted to us and kind of took it to us and we relied on Carey the last two periods, and Carey basically won that game for us."

Brandon Prust, P.K. Subban and Daniel Briere, with an empty-netter on the power play, scored for Montreal (4-2-0), which extended its winning streak to three games and ended a four-game road trip.

"The last couple games, (Price has) been our best player," winger Rene Bourque said. "We need him to do that. It's great to see."

The victory was Price's 20th career shutout.

"I'm not going to take all the credit for our wins," Price said.

"We've had a lot of sacrifices along the way. Different guys step up to the plate at different times, at different points during each of these four games.
"We definitely put out a great effort tonight."

Ondrej Pavelec faced 24 shots for the Jets (3-4-0), who were playing their third game of a six-game homestand. They host St. Louis on Friday.

With a number of fans wearing Habs jerseys in the stands at MTS Centre, the visitors quickly opened the scoring.

Briere's shot off the boards led to Prust's goal, as the puck bounced to him at the corner of the net and he poked it in behind Pavelec to make it 1-0 at 2:06.

It took the Jets just under seven minutes to get their first shot on goal, a span that included a power play, as the Habs kept most of the action in Winnipeg's end.

"We couldn't generate a whole lot," Winnipeg coach Claude Noel said.

"We got some shots on net, they blocked a lot of shots. We didn't get enough through. We didn't get enough traffic and we struggled."

Winnipeg killed off a penalty, but about a minute later Subban sent a one-timer past Pavelec at 11:28, his eighth point in six games. The shots on goal at that point were 7-1 for Montreal.

The Jets got going during another power play, boosting their shots on goal to close Montreal's advantage to 10-8 at the end of the first period.

Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty fell to the ice during the first period after getting tangled between a couple of Jets players on the way to the net. He didn't put any weight on his left leg as he was helped off the ice and didn't return.

The Jets kept pace with the Habs in the scoreless second period and took the lead in shots on goal 21-19, but Noel said the numbers can be deceiving.

"When you look at the scoring chances for our team, (Price) saw a lot of pucks," he said.

"He was able to get it stopped quickly, just clear shots to the net. So either we're not getting there or we're not getting shots through."

Despite quickly starting the third period short-handed, Winnipeg had some early scoring chances, including two by captain Andrew Ladd, although on one he bobbled the puck.

Noel kept the same lines he did in Sunday's 3-0 win over New Jersey, which saw Ladd move from the top line to the second one with rookie center rookie Mark Scheifele and Michael Frolik.

Evander Kane was on the top line with center Bryan Little and right wing Blake Wheeler, whom Noel said is trying, but not playing very well.

Winnipeg went on the power play with seven minutes left in the game after Briere was called for hooking, but Price made one save and Ryan White blocked the other shot.

With Pavelec pulled and the Jets short-handed because of a Little cross-checking penalty, Briere scored his first of the season at 18:42.

"It's unfortunate that it takes two goals to get a little desperation in our game," Ladd said.

"You've got a find a way to get going right off the hop. I mean there's enough energy in this building to do that and to start the game with the right intentions."

Game notes

The Canadiens return to Montreal for a five-game homestand. ... Habs defenseman Josh Gorges played in his 500th game and assisted on Subban's goal.

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Habs end season with win over Leafs

Source : Montrealgazette.com

The Canadiens played a solid defensive game as they limited the Toronto Maple Leafs to seven shots over the first 43 minutes as they closed the regular season with 4-1 win Saturday night at the Air Canada Centre. Lars Eller sparked the Canadiens’ offence with a goal and two assists, while backup goaltender Peter Budaj made 16 saves to finish the season with an 8-1-1 record.

We’re No. 2 — again: The win gave the Canadiens 63 points and at least temporary possession of first place in the Northeast Division and second overall in the Eastern Conference. Montreal is a point ahead of Boston, which dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to Washington. The Bruins have one game remaining Sunday night against Ottawa and the first-round pairing for the Canadiens will be decided in that game. If the Bruins win, the Canadiens will open Tuesday against the Leafs at the Bell Centre. If Ottawa wins, the Canadiens will play the Senators in a series that begins on Thursday.

Markov delivers: Michel Therrien opted not to give defenceman Andrei Markov a rest and he was rewarded when Markov scored a goal and added an assist as the Canadiens opened a 3-1 lead in the second period. Markov snapped a 1-1 tie when he scored on a shot from the point at 4:19. Markov also assisted on Brendan Gallagher’s goal at 9:18.

Killer performance: The much-maligned Montreal penalty-killing unit came up big. Phil Kessel opened the scoring with a power-play goal after Markov went off for roughing in the first period, but the Leafs finished the night 1-for-7 on the power play and managed only five shots on goal with the extra man. The Canadiens’ power play went 0-for-6.

Big Daddy Eller: The Danish centre doesn’t turn 24 for another two weeks, but said he feels like he plays the daddy for his linemates — 20-year-old Brendan Gallagher and 19-year-old Alex Galchenyuk. While Eller had a three-point night, Gallagher scored his 15th goal of the season and added an assist, while Galchenyuk had an assist. Gallagher led all rookies with 15 goals and his 28 points are second to Florida’s Jonathan Huberdeau.

More kiddie stuff: Rookie defenceman Jarred Tinordi checked in with another strong performance. He supplied some physical play with four hits and two blocked shots and was plus-2 for the night. He was a major contributor to the Canadiens’ success on the penalty-kill.

Habs clinch home ice with comeback win

Source : Montrealgazette.com



Brendan Gallagher's seeing-eye slapshot early in the third period handcuffed Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec and trickled in slow motion into the Winnipeg net, sending the Canadiens all the way to home-ice advantage in the first round of the National Hockey League playoffs.

The Habs' 4-2 win before a sellout crowd of 15,004 at the MTS Centre assures Montreal of opening its Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff series, against an opponent yet to be determined, at the Bell Centre on Tuesday. Game 2 will take place Thursday.

What's the point: All the Habs needed was a single point against the Jets — a loss in overtime or shootout would have done the trick — to nail down no worse than fourth place in the East.

But it wasn't easy, as has been the case with much about the Canadiens during their 1-5 skid since qualifying for the playoffs on April 11 in Buffalo.

Canadiens forward Rene Bourque had erased a 1-0 Jets lead midway through Thursday's second period, scoring his seventh of the season. Then Gallagher again equalized, notching his 14th, after Winnipeg had gone back in front.

Centreman David Desharnais, with his 10th of the season on the power play and Max Pacioretty, with his 15th, put matters out of reach in the third period.

The Jets had needed a win and a boatload of help from the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators if they were to keep their own playoff hopes alive. But they'd have learned during second intermission that they were out, both the Rangers and Senators having won their games.

Where they're at: With a single game to play, the Canadiens are in fourth place in the East with 61 points. That's four up on the Maple Leafs, who clobbered Florida 4-0. No matter the result of Saturday's Canadiens-Leafs game in Toronto, the Habs will finish the 48-game, lockout-shortened season no worse than fourth. They could yet finish second in the East, behind only Pittsburgh.

Save of the night: Habs goalie Carey Price, who made 23 saves on the night, foiled Blake Wheeler's second-period breakaway, falling back into his net and reaching out to smother the loose puck in his crease as momentum carried him the other way.

Candlepower: Habs defenceman Alexei Emelin turned 27 on Thursday, not celebrating in action against the Jets. Emelin missed his ninth game since suffering a season-ending knee injury. And how the Canadiens blue line, showing serious strain of work, could use him now.

Once in your life: Attend a game at compact MTS Centre. Jets fans have a reputation for their passion and their lungs. They must be seen, and heard, to be believed.

What's next: The Canadiens finish out their campaign Saturday in Toronto (7 p.m. CBC, RDS, TSN 690 Radio), with the Maple Leafs having qualified for the playoffs for the first time in nine years. Let the madness continue - because it began weeks ago.

Canadien vs Jets : Avantage de la glace au CH

Source : Rds.ca


Le Canadien peut dire merci aux Rangers et aux Sénateurs.

En l’emportant dans leur match respectif, ces derniers ont donné le coup de grâce aux Jets de Winnipeg, qui n’ont pu conserver leur avance d’un but pour finalement s’incliner 4 à 2 devant les hommes de Michel Therrien, jeudi soir.

Le temps de deux périodes, les Jets se sont accrochés à l’espoir de participer aux séries. Mais alors qu’ils se reposaient au vestiaire après avoir pris les devants 2 à 1 au terme des 40 premières minutes de jeu, les Jets ont appris qu’ils devaient faire leur deuil des éliminatoires à la suite des gains des Rangers et des Sénateurs.

À lire également

• Sommaire du match
• Jeudi dans la LNH
• La course aux séries

Les Jets se devaient absolument de l'emporter, car une défaite lors de leur dernier match de la saison régulière confirmait leur exclusion de la ronde printanière. Ils devaient de plus espérer que les Rangers les Sénateurs s'inclinent à leurs deux dernières rencontres.

Confronté à une formation clairement moins motivée en troisième période, le Canadien a tôt fait d’en profiter pour inscrire trois buts sans réplique – ceux de Brendan Gallagher, David Desharnais et Max Pacioretty – et ainsi s’assurer de l’avantage de la patinoire lors de la première ronde éliminatoire.

« C'est une victoire importante. On a aimé la détermination de notre équipe ce soir, a indiqué l'entraîneur-chef, Michel Therrien. On est venus pour jouer. Les joueurs se sont présentés.

« C'est certain que de commencer (les séries) à la maison, c'est un avantage. Ce n'est pas pour rien que les équipes se battent pour ça. Tu te bats d'abord pour une place en séries, ensuite pour l'avantage de la glace. »

Le Canadien a du coup signé une deuxième victoire seulement depuis qu’il a officialisé sa participation aux séries le 11 avril dernier face aux Sabres de Buffalo.

Rene Bourque a inscrit l'autre but du Canadien au deuxième vingt. P.K. Subban et Lars Eller ont récolté deux mentions d'assistance. James Wright et Blake Wheeler ont marqué pour les Jets.

Carey Price n'a pas été très occupé, stoppant 23 rondelles, mais il a su garder son équipe dans le match en deuxième, alors que les Jets ont été les plus menaçants. Son vis-à-vis Ondrej Pavelec a effectué 26 arrêts, mais il a mal paru sur deux des trois buts du Tricolore au troisième vingt.

Desharnais a inscrit le but de la victoire à 7:57 de la troisième, alors que le Tricolore profitait de l'avantage de deux joueurs, après les pénalités à Andrew Ladd pour rudesse et au banc des Jets pour avoir eu trop de joueurs sur la patinoire.

Après avoir accepté la passe d'Andrei Markov, Subban a décoché un violent tir sur réception, que n'a pu maîtriser Pavelec. Desharnais, posté à sa gauche, a bondi sur le retour pour loger la rondelle dans le filet abandonné.

Pacioretty a ensuite doublé l'avance des siens près de trois minutes plus tard, sur un but chanceux. Son tir des poignets a été partiellement bloqué par le gardien des Jets avant d'entrer dans le filet.

En début de troisième, Gallagher a permis au Tricolore de créer l'égalité sur un autre jeu où le gardien Pavelec a paru chancelant: le tir frappé de l'attaquant du Canadien a été touché de la mitaine par

Pavelec, mais a poursuivi sa course jusque derrière la ligne rouge.

Price a inspiré la victoire

Les jambes sciées

Les Jets ont été les seuls à s'inscrire à la marque en première. Chris Thorburn a profité de la chute de Francis Bouillon derrière sa ligne des buts pour s'installer derrière le filet de Price, d'où il a repéré
Wright, bien posté à la droite du gardien. Le tir des poignets de l'attaquant des Jets a trouvé le fond du filet du côté de la mitaine du gardien du Tricolore, qui a dominé 7-4 au chapitre des lancers et écoulé deux pénalités sans céder dans cette première.

Le trio de Bourque, Eller et Alex Galchenyuk a permis au CH de créer l'égalité à mi-chemin en deuxième. Après que Pavelec eut frustré Galchenyuk et qu'Eller eut raté son tir, Bourque a profité de la confusion, et de la circulation, dans la surface réservée au gardien pour lancer vers le but. Nik Antropov a fait dévier le disque dans son filet.

Après ce but, Price y est allé de deux superbes arrêts pour permettre au Canadien de demeurer dans le match. D'abord, à mi-chemin de la période, il a frustré Wheeler qui s'est échappé à la suite d'un revirement de Subban à la ligne bleue adverse. Le gardien du Tricolore a effectué un bel arrêt de la mitaine, avant de sauter sur le retour. Quelques minutes plus tard, son déplacement latéral bien synchronisé lui a permis de stopper le tir sur réception de Wright sur une attaque en surnombre.

« On voulait gagner au moins une période »

« Ça a été notre meilleur joueur ce soir, a analysé Therrien. Il a fait les arrêts-clés quand nous en avons eu besoin. Il a été là pour réparer les erreurs de certains joueurs. »

Un peu moins de cinq minutes plus tard, Wheeler a placé les Jets en avant 2-1 avec un but chanceux.
Price a stoppé le boulet de la ligne bleue de Dustin Byfuglien, mais n'a pas pu maîtriser le retour.

Avec un joueur des Jets dans les jambes, il a tenté d'immobiliser la rondelle, mais Wheeler a pu la glisser sous lui.

Les Jets ont toutefois semblé avoir les jambes sciées à leur retour du vestiaire, tandis que le Canadien a montré un visage qu'on n'avait pas vu depuis plusieurs matchs, avec le résultat qu'on connaît.

Le Tricolore conclut sa saison samedi, à Toronto, contre les Maple Leafs, qui pourraient bien être ses adversaires pour la première ronde des séries.

Saison	PJ	V	D	DP	DF	BP	BC	Points	LP	LC	AVA	DÉS
2011-12	47	17	21	2	7	120	131	43	1387	1340	12,43%	89,01%
2012-13	47	28	14	3	2	145	125	61	1440	1276	21,32%	79,52%

Habs : Ryder's goal lifts Canadiens over Bruins 2-1

Source : Yahoo.com

The often bitter rivalry between Montreal and Boston is going the Canadiens' way.

Michael Ryder's power-play goal 57 seconds into the second period lifted the Canadiens to a 2-1 victory over the Bruins on Saturday night in a matchup of the top two teams in the Northeast Division.

Alex Galchenyuk also scored and Carey Price made 26 saves for the Canadiens (25-8-5), who won three of four against the Bruins this season. The Canadiens lead the division by three points, with

Boston holding a game in hand.

''Every time we play this team it's the most important game,'' Canadiens defenseman Josh Gorges said. ''We've had a couple of good ones against these guys.

''We played a full 60 minutes, and that's what was impressive. They had some good push. That's a good hockey team over there, but we held our ground and played hard.''

The Canadiens (25-8-5) have won five of six.

''We're finding ways to win games,'' Canadiens center Lars Eller said. ''This time we protected a lead over three periods. The last game we played in Boston we caught up after being behind by two goals.

''There's a lot to like about this team. Really. But there are still 10 games to go, and if you want to go to the Stanley Cup finals you have to be good enough to beat every team. You want to finish with as good a record as you can and feel good going in, and this one felt really good.''

Daniel Paille scored for Boston (24-9-4), which had a three-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 5-5-1 in its last 11.

Montreal coach Michel Therrien was impressed that his team came through a stretch of five games in eight days with eight points. It included a comeback 6-5 shootout win at Boston on March 27.

The Canadiens were down one defenseman from the midway point of the first period when Alexei Emelin appeared to sustain a left knee injury in a thunderous collision while taking a run at big
Bruins forward Milan Lucic.

Therrien said Emelin had a lower body injury, adding he would know more about Emelin's status after he is examined on Sunday.

Montreal had a one-goal lead at the time. Galchenyk, who scored for a second game in a row, slipped the puck into traffic in the crease, and Matt Batkowski put it into his own net at 6:49.

The teams exchanged goals in the second.

A cross-checking penalty by Lucic put Montreal on the power play to start the period. Ryder deflected P.K. Subban's wrist shot into the top corner only 57 seconds in. It was Ryder's sixth goal in six games.

The game featured good chances at both ends and some big hits and big saves from Price and Tuukka Rask, but none of the controversial incidents that often mark games between these rivals.

Montreal held a 29-27 edge in shots.

''We battled back,'' Rask said. ''They got the lead but we got better.

''We just couldn't get the puck in the net. That was it. If you look at all three goals scored, if you ask me or Price, it should have been a 0-0 game.''

Paille won a faceoff against David Desharnais in the Montreal zone, and Johnny Boychuk's shot went in off his back at 7:10.

The Bruins had a chance during a power play in the final minute, and pulled Rask for an extra skater, but still couldn't get a shot on goal.

They were still looking to pass as time expired.

''I didn't know what time it was,'' newly acquired forward Jaromir Jagr said. ''We were looking for the perfect shot.

''Maybe we should have taken some shots, but we didn't. It's OK. You have to learn from that. It's sad that we lost, but I'm happy with how we played the second and third periods.''

NOTES: Canadiens C Tomas Plekanec returned after missing one game due to a suspected groin injury, bumping Michael Blundin from the lineup. Gabriel Dumont, Tomas Kaberle and Yannick Weber were scratched for Montreal. ... Newly acquired D Wade Redden didn't play and has yet to make his Bruins debut. Jordan Caron and Aaron Johnson were healthy scratches. ... Boston's Patrice Bergeron, who had seven points in three games against Montreal, missed a second game because of a concussion.

Habs : Canadiens hand sliding Jets 5th straight loss

Source : Yahoo.com

Michael Ryder is making Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin look like a genius.

A two-goal performance in a 4-1 victory over the slumping Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night gave Ryder nine goals in 17 games since Bergevin got the veteran right winger and a third-round draft pick from the Dallas Stars for Erik Cole in a Feb. 26 trade.

Many questioned the deal at the time, but Cole was struggling in Montreal and Ryder has been hot from the outset with nine goals and eight assists since returning to the city where he began his NHL career.

''I was used to the city and I knew a few guys here,'' said Ryder, who left as a free agent for Boston four seasons ago and then signed with Dallas last summer. ''It was my first time getting traded, so that was the biggest part of it all.

''But the guys welcomed me in and made me feel comfortable right away. I just tried to come in and do what I can to help the team keep winning.''

Ryder also set up a goal by rookie Alex Galchenyuk, while Brian Gionta had the other goal for Montreal.

Alexander Burmistrov got his first goal in 18 games for the Jets, who were swept on a three-game road trip to stretch their losing streak to five. Their anemic attack has scored six goals, only three of them by forwards, in the five losses.

With the defeat, Winnipeg gave up first spot in the Southeast Division to Washington and dropped out of a playoff position - from third place to 10th - in the Eastern Conference.

The Jets have nine games left - seven of them at home - to try to claw their way back into a playoff spot. They start a six-game homestand Saturday against Philadelphia.

''It's not like we don't know what's going on,'' coach Claude Noel said. ''I don't think you can expect to lose five straight games and expect that things aren't going to change.

''We know that if we continue down this road it isn't good. That's why there's urgency. We're running out of games. We know that.''

The Canadiens were coming off a 4-3 loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday, but as they have done consistently this season, they bounced back with a win. It was the third time they responded one day after a loss with a clear win.

''It was another great effort for us,'' Gionta said. ''Back-to-back games are not easy in this league and we've done a great job on them this year, especially when we've lost the first one.''

It was a special night for the veteran backup goalie Peter Budaj, who made 33 saves to improve to 6-1-1. He had his father, a brother and an uncle over from Slovakia among the crowd of 21,273 at the Bell Centre.

''My uncle never saw me play before, so that was fun,'' Budaj said. ''I was glad I was able to get the start at the Bell Centre in front of a home crowd.

''I'm very appreciative of that, and the team played great in front of me.''

Winnipeg struck first as Burmistrov was left unguarded on the left side to bang Grant Clitsome's pass into an open net 8:16 into the game.

Montreal got it back on a power play at 10:47 as Ryder was alone at the edge of the crease to push Gionta's rebound past Ondrej Pavelec.

Ryder got his second of the night has he fired the rebound of P.K. Subban's shot past a screened

Pavelec 2:03 into the second frame. Subban has eight points in his last five contests.

Gionta was at the net and had Lars Eller's shot go in off him on a power play at 5:51. The Canadiens captain said the shot went in off his ''upper thigh.

''I apologized (to Eller) for getting in the way, but I'll take it any time,'' the 5-foot-7 Gionta said. ''Good thing I'm tall, eh?''

The Jets felt they had a power-play goal early in the third, but Tobias Enstrom's score was called back because Blake Wheeler had bumped Budaj in the crease.

Galchenyuk sealed the victory when he was at the doorstep to lift in a puck flipped into the crease area by Ryder 7:43 into the third.

''We're in a funk and when you get trapped into those funks, things start to go awry and you have to try to get back on a winning streak,'' said Jets forward Evander Kane, who thrashed Alexei Emelin in a third period fight, getting an extra 10 minutes for pulling off the Montreal defenseman's helmet and nearly hitting him with it.

''That happens all the time. You're trying to get the other guy's helmet off and sometimes it gets caught in your hand when you're trying to throw a punch. That's what happened. I'm not going to feel sorry about that.''

Dustin Byfuglien started the game at forward, was switched back to defense and sat a spell on the bench. And Noel didn't like how he played on the Galchenyuk goal.

''I don't think he was very effective up front,'' Noel said. ''This isn't the first time they put a puck at the net and he's standing beside the guy without taking his stick, so after a while, it just can't continue down that road. You have to make changes.''

The Canadiens edged the Jets 4-3 in Montreal on Jan. 29. Winnipeg closes out the regular season at home against Montreal on April 25.

NOTES: Enstrom played his 400th NHL game. ... Mike Santorelli, claimed on waivers from Florida, played his first Jets game as Nik Antropov sat out with a lower body injured sustained Tuesday against the Islanders. ... Clitsome returned after being out one game with an eye injury. ... Montreal was without Tomas Plekanec, who likely has groin injury. Gabriel Dumont was recalled from AHL Hamilton, but didn't dress as Ryan White returned from a six-game injury layoff.

Canadiens upend Hurricanes 4-1

Source : Yahoo.com

Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty ended another goal drought against the Hurricanes.
Pacioretty scored twice to help the Canadiens to a 4-1 win over the Hurricanes on Monday night. The goals snapped a goal-less stretch that had seen the 24-year-old winger score just once in his previous 12 games.

''Obviously things weren't going in for me. It takes a bounce and that's how it goes,'' said Pacioretty, who opened the season with no goals in his first 10 games before a score against the Hurricanes on Feb. 18.

''Different people step up every night for this team and I guess tonight was my chance.''

Pacioretty got his first of the night at 10:58 of the third period when he slipped the puck through an opening to Hurricanes goaltender Justin Peter's left side.

''I knew once I got that bounce I'd feel good so hopefully I can keep it going,'' he said.

The penalty kill, the biggest blemish in the Canadiens' season to date, ranking 18th heading into the game and 25th on home ice, came up strong against the Hurricanes. Montreal was perfect on all five
Carolina opportunities and allowed just two shots on goal.

The Canadiens have killed 21 of their past 23 penalties.

''We approached the group of guys that kill penalties about 10 days ago. That was an aspect of our game that we were not pleased with,'' Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said. ''We had a good meeting. Guys know their responsibilities and right now they're doing a good job. They're battling hard, getting in the shooting lanes, paying attention to detail. It makes a big difference.''

With the win, the Canadiens have a three-point lead over the idle Boston Bruins.

The Hurricanes lost ground in the race for the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference following wins by the eighth-place New York Rangers and ninth-seeded New York Islanders. Those teams are tied at 37 points, three points ahead of Carolina.

Carolina has dropped eight of its past nine.

''We haven't consistently found our game,'' said center Jordan Staal, who scored his team's goal.

''We've had some spurts and played a really solid game in Winnipeg (on Saturday). Again, even tonight, we had some spurts here and there, but it's just not a consistent game that we're playing.''

Carey Price, appearing in his 300th NHL game, made 18 saves for the win. It was the 142nd of his career, ranking him eighth on the Canadiens' all-time goaltending wins list.

''Carey made some key saves. We only allowed 19 shots, but there were some quality scoring chances and Carey was really good again tonight,'' Therrien said.

After the Canadiens were unable to convert on a couple of quality chances in the opening minutes of the first period, the Hurricanes took advantage of a delayed penalty call against Montreal.

Patrick Dwyer broke in, impeded by defenseman Alexei Emelin. Price made the save but the rebound came out to Staal, who scored his 11th of the season at 3:38.

''We came ready, had a good first 10 minutes, scored the first goal and then they pushed back pretty hard and had us on our heels for a little while,'' Hurricanes captain Eric Staal said. ''Down 2-1 in the third we had some good chances early, hit the post on Jiri (Tlusty's shot) and then Jussi (Jokinen) right in the slot on the power play.

''It was a tight game and not a lot of space out there. They were able to get that third one and it was difficult to come back from that.''

The Canadiens took the lead on a goal that featured two firsts for Canadiens players. Rookie defenseman Nathan Beaulieu found Jeff Halpern in the slot for the veteran's first goal of the season while Beaulieu picked up his first NHL point with the assist.

Andrei Markov evened the score on the power play at 15:03 with a slap shot from the right point. P.K. Subban, tying him with Pittsburgh's Kris Letang and Minnesota's Ryan Suter for the league lead in points by a defenseman.

Canadiens winger Colby Armstrong had to be helped off the ice early in the third after a hard collision with Dwyer that left him favoring what appeared to be his right leg. He did not return.

Peters stopped 25 shots in his second career loss to Montreal.

Notes: The Canadiens have won all 10 games they've played against the Southeast Division this season. ... The win was Montreal's second straight series sweep after doing the same against the Rangers on Saturday. ... The Canadiens scratched forward Mike Blunden and defensemen Tomas Kaberle and Yannick Weber. ... The Hurricanes scratched forward Adam Hall and Tuomo Ruutu (injured).

Habs vs Bruins : Canadiens top Bruins 6-5 in shootout

Source : Yahoo.com

Andrei Markov tied it with 8.2 seconds left in regulation, and Brendan Gallagher scored the only shootout goal to give the Montreal Canadiens a 6-5 victory over the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night.

The victory snapped a tie for the second-most points in the Eastern Conference, giving the Canadiens 47. They lead the Northeast Division by a point over the Bruins.

In the shootout, all six Bruins players were stopped. The first five Canadiens couldn't score, either. Then Gallagher put the puck between Tuukka Rask's pads.

It capped a comeback after Boston had taken a 5-3 lead on Tyler Seguin's 11th goal of the season at 11:50 of the third period. Gallagher scored 28 seconds later, then Markov tied it on a power play.

With Aaron Johnson in the penalty box for delay of game, Markov's shot from the left point appeared to go in off the stick of Boston's Zdeno Chara. Gallagher, also in front, initially was credited with the goal before an official scoring change gave it to Markov, his sixth.

Montreal's comeback ruined the Bruins rally from a 2-0 deficit.

Michael Ryder opened the scoring at 4:15 of the first period and P.K. Subban gave the Canadiens a 2-0 lead at 2:53 of the second.

Then the Bruins, who had scored only nine goals in their previous five games, scored four in just over 14 minutes against goalie Carey Price.

Rookie defenseman Dougie Hamilton started the comeback with his fourth goal at 3:32 of the second period, Brad Marchand tied it, Patrice Bergeron put Boston ahead and Nathan Horton made it 4-2 at 17:36 of the period.

Price was replaced by Peter Budaj to start the third period.

Ryder cut the lead to 4-3 with his second goal of the game and 12th of the season at 3:58 of the third period on a 20-foot shot from the left after taking a cross-ice pass from Tomas Plekanec.

But Seguin restored Boston's two-goal advantage, lifting a short backhander over Budaj's left arm off a pass from Marchand. Bergeron got his third assist of the game on the play.

NOTES: The Bruins claimed F Kaspars Daugavins off waivers from the Ottawa Senators and recalled D Torey Krug from Providence of the AHL. ... Eight of the last nine games between the teams have been decided by one goal.

Habs : Penguins edge Canadiens 1-0 for 13th straight win

Source : Yahoo.com

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price saw the NHL's leading scorer bearing down on him and figured he had maybe an inch or two over his right shoulder exposed.

Thing is, an inch or two is all Sidney Crosby needs these days.

Crosby beat Price with a laser to the top corner of the net late in the second period, Marc-Andre 
Fleury and Tomas Vokoun teamed up to stop 37 shots, and the Penguins extended their winning streak to 13 games with a 1-0 victory on Tuesday night.

''He's the best player in the world, so we got beat tonight by the best player in the world, by the perfect shot,'' Montreal coach Michel Therrien said.

One Crosby delivered after a rare defensive breakdown by the Canadiens. Chris Kunitz found Crosby with a pretty cross-ice pass and Crosby did the rest. His 15th goal of the season turned out to be just enough to keep Pittsburgh's march through March going.

''To win that many, your goaltenders have to steal a game or two over that time period,'' Crosby said. ''Sometimes we've had tough periods and they've bailed us out.''

Against the surprising Canadiens, the Penguins needed both. Fleury stopped all 22 shots he faced, but did not play in the third period following a collision in front of the Penguins' net. Vokoun filled in and made 15 saves to give Pittsburgh just the fourth combined shutout in franchise history.

Fleury appeared woozy after he was slammed into by teammate Tyler Kennedy and Montreal's Brian Gionta with less than a minute to go in the second. He laid on the ice for a moment to collect himself and managed to finish the final 49 seconds, but did not come out of the dressing room for the third.

Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said Fleury - who leads the NHL with 18 victories - would ''continue to be evaluated'' but offered no specifics. The Penguins are off until Thursday when they host Winnipeg.
Given an entire intermission to warm up, Vokoun played solidly as Pittsburgh continued to tighten things up on the defensive end. The Penguins have allowed nine goals in their last nine games, the lowest total in the league over that span.

''I think guys are just really buying in to what our ultimate goal is here,'' defenseman Brooks Orpik said. ''We're winning games 2-1, 1-0 and guys are ecstatic.''

Price finished with 24 saves for the Canadiens, but couldn't stop Montreal from losing consecutive games for the first time this season.

''We've got to take the positive out of it,'' Price said. ''We keep playing the way we are, we're not going to lose that many games like that, so I think we've just got to stick to it.''

The Penguins welcomed back defenseman Kris Letang - who missed the last three games with a lower body injury - and didn't take long to put newly acquired forward Brenden Morrow to work.
Bylsma sent the veteran winger out to take the opening faceoff and kept Morrow on the move, sending him out with different combination hoping to find a rhythm.

Montreal did its best to prevent Pittsburgh from finding any, taking away open ice early and spending most of the time keeping Fleury busy. It hardly looked like the wild 7-6 overtime victory by the Penguins three weeks ago that kick-started what is now the second-longest winning streak in franchise history. Pittsburgh ripped off 19 straight during the 1992-93 season.

Pittsburgh needed more than six minutes to register a shot, then again coach Michel Therrien knows a few things about handling the Penguins. He coached Pittsburgh to the 2008 Stanley Cup finals before Bylsma replaced him in February 2009. The Penguins won the Cup four months later.

Tuesday night was Therrien's first game in Pittsburgh since his ouster. He politely nodded during a brief video tribute in the middle of the first period, but that would be the extent of the pleasantries on a night both teams hope served as a preview of a late postseason series for the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.

Pittsburgh is gearing up for a Cup run, picking up Morrow from the Dallas Stars on Sunday then adding burly defenseman Doug Murray from San Jose on Monday. Murray won't arrive until Wednesday, but his new team certainly could have used him to clear some space in front of the net against the persistent Canadiens.

Montreal spent most of the night driving at Fleury. He was more than equal to the task and spectacular at times, helped by a pair of shots by Canadiens forward Michael Ryder that hit off the post.

''You need a break if you want to win some hockey games,'' Therrien said. ''Certainly we didn't have any break tonight. Twice (we) hit the crossbar. It's a matter of inches to get out of the building with a win.''

NOTES: Montreal F Jeff Halpern played 14:51 in his debut with the Canadiens. Halpern was claimed off waivers last Saturday ... Orpik played in his 619th game, tying him with Ron Shock for the sixth-most games in franchise history. ... The Canadiens scratched D Tomas Kaberle and Fs Mike Blunden and Ryan White. ... The Penguins are 11-2 this season when playing without reigning NHL MVP Evgeni Malkin, who remains sidelined with an upper body injury.

Habs vs Sabres : Vanek scores 2 in Sabres' win over Canadiens

Source : Yahoo.com

Thomas Vanek helped the Buffalo Sabres make the most of their limited scoring chances to pull out another road win against the Montreal Canadiens.

Vanek scored two goals to lead the Sabres to a 2-1 win over the Canadiens on Saturday night. It was the Sabres' third straight win in a run that began with an overtime victory in Montreal on Tuesday.

Montreal outshot Buffalo 39-18, getting double-digit shots in each period - including 16 in the third.

''That's a good team over there. They just keep coming at you,'' Vanek said. ''They're a good puck possession team but I thought we kept them outside. We could have played a bit more offensively in the third and done some damage ourselves but in the end it's a win so we'll take it.''

Ryan Miller finished with 38 saves as Buffalo pulled two points behind eighth-place Carolina.
''We know we have a long way to go. Any time you can pick up two points and consecutively three games in a row, it feels good. But there's a lot of work left,'' Vanek said. ''We've just got to pick up points and see what happens at the end. But we need help as well.''

Michael Ryder scored the lone goal for Montreal, and Carey Price made 16 saves.

After a slow start in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Sabres, the Canadiens had their legs moving in the opening period, outshooting Buffalo 13-5. Montreal had chances late in the first on a delayed penalty call against the Sabres but were denied by Miller.

''I thought we played a solid game. We dictated the game, we played hard, the guys were ready to play,'' said Canadiens coach Michel Therrien. ''I liked our intensity. We were competing hard to the net and to loose pucks - that's what you ask from your team. The result wasn't on our side tonight.''
Vanek broke the scoreless deadlock at 10:25 of the second period with Buffalo on a two-man advantage.

Shortly after Mike Blunden was called for interference, defenceman P.K. Subban was whistled for delay of game for shooting the puck over the glass. The Canadiens pleaded with the officials that the puck hit the glass on the way out but to no avail.
''It's bad luck,'' Therrien said of the call.

Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff found a passing lane for the Sabres and fired a shot from the point that deflected in off Vanek for his 15th of the season.

Vanek struck again in the final minute of the second off a Canadiens turnover. Brendan Gallagher broke in on a pass attempt, but the Sabres were there to intercept the puck.

Taking a pass from Tyler Ennis, Vanek finished off the play with some slick stick work to beat Price a second time.

On Tuesday, the Canadiens rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force overtime. This time, they could only manage Michael Ryder's third period power-play goal. It was his 10th score of the season, but first back in Montreal while playing for the Canadiens since March 11, 2008.

''It's very frustrating (to lose a game like that) but we have to find ways to be resilient. We have to find ways to get the two points, even when things maybe aren't going our way, bounces don't go our way,'' defenseman Josh Gorges said. ''We had a good push at the end but we can't get down 2-0 and hope to climb back every time. We've got to try to get the early lead.''

Miller didn't start in the teams' last meeting and was pulled in a 6-1 Montreal rout back in early February. His teammates helped make life easier in front of him, blocking 31 shots.

''I was happy with (my game). It's been a bit of a tough go the last few weeks so I need to start collecting myself and give these guys a chance to get these kinds of wins. They did a nice job of sticking with it, getting to the net and getting the lead,'' he said.

NOTES: The Canadiens scratched defenseman Tomas Kaberle (healthy) and forward Ryan White (lower body). Montreal claimed C Jeff Halpern off waivers from the New York Rangers on Saturday. He didn't arrive in Montreal in time for the game. ... Forward Drew Stafford and defenseman John Scott were healthy scratches for Buffalo. Defenseman Andrej Sekera remained sidelined with an injury. ... Buffalo clinched the season series. The Sabres haven't lost a season series to Montreal since 2007-08.

Habs vs Islanders : Gionta lifts Canadiens to 5-2 win over Islanders

Source : sports.yahoo.com

The Montreal Canadiens have found every conceivable way to win or get a point since a trouncing by Toronto on Feb. 9. They avenged their only defeat in that stretch on Thursday night, scoring three third-period goals to beat the New York Islanders 5-2.

Brian Gionta scored the go-ahead goal 48 seconds into the third period, P.K. Subban scored his second goal of the night midway through the period and rookie Brendan Gallagher finished it off to help the Canadiens improve to 20-5-5, second only to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference. Montreal is 14-1-4 since the 6-0 drubbing by Toronto six weeks ago.

''We came into the third period with a lot of energy, got a quick one and kept it going,'' said Subban, who scored the tying goal midway through the second period and Montreal's fourth goal midway through the third. ''It was a tough game but we're good at grinding for the full 60 minutes.''

The same can't be said for the Islanders, who have lost for the 11th time in 24 games in which they have been tied or ahead in third period. New York is 13-14-3, still only three points out of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. They continued to struggle at home, where they are 5-10-2.

''It's about battle levels, winning the intangibles,'' Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. ''Games are won in the trenches. When you play with enough desperation, you don't win in this league. It's the little things that cost us again.''

Gionta's 10th goal of the season came after center David Desharnais caught a wobbling puck by the blue line off a clearing attempt, set it down and passed it to Gionta in front.

Subban had tied the game 2-2 with his eighth of the season on a power-play at 10:53 of the second when he blasted a shot from the point past Poulin. Subban added his second goal at 10:10 of the third, and Gallagher had Montreal's final goal 33 seconds later, giving the rookie his ninth of the season.

Michael Ryder also scored for Montreal, whose lone regulation defeat since Feb. 9 came against the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum on March 5.
Carey Price made 25 saves for Montreal.

''This was a good win for us,'' said Max Pacioretty, who had two assists for the Canadiens and leads the team in scoring with 9 goals and 16 assists. ''We have to play a pressure style to win and we did that tonight when it counted.''

Montreal has earned points in 10 of its last 11 games and sits atop the Northeast Division.
John Tavares and Lubomir Visnovsky scored for the Islanders, who lost their second straight after going 5-1-2 in the previous eight games to get close to the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Montreal native Kevin Poulin made his second start of the season in goal for the Islanders to give starter Evgeni Nabokov a rest. The 22-year-old Poulin was called up from AHL Bridgeport on Feb. 23 when backup Rick DiPietro was waived and sent down.

Ryder opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 9:36 of the first, tipping a slap shot of the point past Poulin, whose only other start came in a 4-2 loss to Carolina on Feb. 24. It was the ninth goal of the year for Ryder, who was reacquired from Dallas earlier this season.

Tavares made it 1-1 at 12:06 with his 18th goal of the season on a slick move, faking a pass to linemate Brad Boyes and beating Price with a snapshot from the left circle. Tavares is tied with Pittsburgh's Chris Kunitz and Jeff Carter of Los Angeles, three goals behind league leader Steven Stamkos.

''We got away from our game after playing a good first 40 minutes,'' Tavares said. ''We have to understand that we can't come off the gas pedal in the third period.''

Visnovsky put New York ahead at 6:58 of the second when he tapped in a rebound with assists by Tavares and Matt Moulson.

Moulson assisted on both Islanders goals, and leads the Islanders with 21 assists

''All we can do is forget about this and come back tomorrow,'' Moulson said.

New York hosts Pittsburgh on Friday and Florida on Sunday before starting a four-game road trip.

The Islanders are 8-4-1 on the road.

The Canadiens return home to play Buffalo on Saturday at the Bell Centre.

NOTES: Montreal played without Brandon Prust (shoulder) and scratched defenseman Tomas Kaberle. ... The Islanders scratched defensemen Radek Martinek and Joe Finley and forward Eric Boulton. ... Defenseman Matt Carkner made his return for the Islanders after missing 20 games with a groin injury. ... Islanders right wing Michael Grabner also returned, having missed three games with a shoulder injury.

Blackhawks : Et pourquoi pas 24!

Source : Rds.ca


Daniel Carcillo a marqué son premier but de la saison avec 50 secondes à jouer en troisième période, mercredi, et les Blackhawks de Chicago sont demeurés invaincus en temps régulier en 24 matchs cette saison, battant l'Avalanche du Colorado 3-2.

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Posté à la droite du gardien, Carcillo a tiré profit d'une rondelle libre pour marquer à l'aide d'un revers.

Andrew Shaw, en avantage numérique, et Jonathan Toews, avec les siens à court d'un homme, ont récolté les autres buts des Blackhawks, vainqueurs de leurs 11 dernières rencontres.

John Mitchell et Matt Duchene ont répliqué pour l'Avalanche, qui a perdu ses trois derniers matchs. Le club a perdu ses sept derniers matchs à l'étranger.

Ray Emery a bloqué 20 tirs dans une cause gagnante, tandis que Semyon Varlamov a effectué 28 arrêts.

Les Hawks (21-0-0-3) seront de retour en action vendredi soir, à Denver.
 

 

Jamais deux sans trois ne s’applique pas pour les Coyotes

Le septième but de la saison de Corey Perry en première période et les 18 arrêts de Jonas Hiller ont été suffisants pour que les Ducks battent enfin les Coyotes, 2-0.

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Les deux équipes s’affrontaient pour la troisième fois en seulement cinq jours. Les Coyotes avaient eu le meilleur 5-4 en tirs de barrage samedi et lundi.

Cette fois, Perry a ouvert la marque à 7:10 au premier vingt, Ryan Getzlaf a marqué dans un filet désert en fin de match et les Coyotes n’ont jamais été capables de percer la muraille Jonas Hiller, qui signe son premier jeu blanc de la saison.

De l’autre côté, Jason Labarbera n’a pas été vilain. Le gardien des Coyotes a arrêté 22 rondelles, mais il devra patienter avant de savourer une première victoire depuis le 23 janvier.

Les Ducks prolongent ainsi à cinq leur série de matchs avec au moins un point (3-0-2). En fait, Anaheim, a récolté au moins un point dans 11 de ses 12 derniers matchs. Seul faux pas, un revers de 5-2 face aux Kings, le 25 février.

Les Ducks ont aussi remporté leurs neuf derniers matches à domicile. Le seul match qu'ils ont perdu au Honda Center cette année a été leur premier, le 25 janvier.
 

 

Retour réussi de Miikka Kirpusoff

À son retour de blessure, Miikka Kiprusoff a repoussé 32 tirs pour récolter sa 300e victoire dans l’uniforme des Flames et Calgary a signé une victoire de 4-1 aux dépens des Sharks de San Jose.

Sommaire du match

Blake Comeau a dénoué l'impasse au début d'une troisième période où les Flames ont inscrit trois buts.

Comeau a marqué son premier but de la saison à 2:57, puis Jarome Iginla a ajouté son septième filet à 4:36.

Roman Cervenka et Curtis Glencross ont réussi les autres buts des Flames, qui ont gagné leurs quatre derniers matchs au Saddledome.

Glencross a complété dans un filet désert à 19:04 au troisième vingt, en désavantage numérique.

Joe Thornton a marqué pour les Sharks, qui ont été blanchis lors de quatre avantages numériques.

Thomas Greiss a effectué 22 arrêts.