Montreal Canadiens stun New York Rangers with 4-1 thrashing - NHL Update
In past seasons, this encounter would be a tough hard-to-call affair but in the form the Montreal Canadiens currently are, and the dominance of the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference, the Rangers were shoo-in.
Wrong!
The Canadiens surprisingly pounded the New York Rangers, 4-1, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and were dominant throughout the game as they ended a three-game losing streak.
The Canadiens are at the bottom of the Northwest Division and eight points adrift of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, with a shocking 17-20-8 record, but this comfortable win over the Eastern Conference table toppers will go a long way to
deflect some of the doom and gloom from Montreal.
For New York Rangers, it was a second defeat in three games against a Canadian opposition.
The Rangers lost 3-0 to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday on the road, but came back to beat Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday at the Madison Square Garden, continuing their brilliant home performance.
The defeat against the Habs brings the Rangers' record to 28-11-4, as they remain on top of the Eastern Conference.
Rangers’ coach, John Tortorella panned his team’s efforts in defence, saying that defensive errors led to the defeat.
"We had no structure defensively", coach Tortorella said. "That was our biggest problem".
The struggling Canadiens welcomed back their goaltender, Peter Budaj, in front of the net and he certainly did not disappoint by making 28 saves to keep the Rangers' high flying offence out.
"I'm glad that my work paid off", said Budaj, who made his first start since December 21.
"I always try to prepare myself, whenever I get a chance, to play to the best of my abilities and help the team to win a game. I got a big win tonight against a great team. That's always pretty satisfying, but when you look at the scoreboard, we have a long
way to go".
The atmosphere at the Bell Centre took a welcome turn as boos heard regularly this season turned to cheers.
The fans were in full throttle mode as the Canadiens took the lead early in the first period through Max Pacioretty, who beat Rangers' goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist.
Lundqvist made a total of 25 saves during the game.
New York Rangers responded at 12:49 as Derek Stepan took a Marian Gaborik pass to slap a fast shot at Budaj, whose block took the puck right in front of John Mitchell.
Mitchell scored the rebound to get the Rangers back in the game.
The second period belonged completely to Canadiens as they turned on the style playing with sheer confidence, missing from their previous games.
Pacioretty scored his second goal of the night to give the Habs a 2-1 lead, early in the second period, and three minutes later, Michael Blunden doubled the advantage.
With Canadiens firmly in control, David Desharnais also got in on the action and scored at 12:18 to put the game to bed.
The third period remained scoreless and the Bell Centre was rocking as fans finally saw the Canadiens play the way they are expected too.
New York Rangers will look to resume normal service against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, while Montreal Canadiens welcome the in-form Washington Capitals to the Bell Centre.
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