NEW YORK -- Carey Price left the game after the second period and the Montreal Canadiens scored three times in the third period in a 5-1 win against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
Price was playing his third game since returning from a nine-game absence because of a lower-body injury. He made 22 saves in two periods and the Canadiens (17-4-2) did not provide an update on Price after he left the game.
Mike Condon replaced Price and made 11 saves. Condon went 5-2-2 with a .904 save percentage and 2.39 goals-against average in nine consecutive starts with Price sidelined. He allowed 13 goals in his last four starts after giving up eight in his first five.
The Canadiens improved to 2-0-0 against the Rangers (16-4-2) this season. Montreal has won 10 of the past 11 meetings in the regular season against New York.
The Canadiens had a new top line with Devante Smith-Pelly joining Max Pacioretty and Tomas Plekanec in place of Brendan Gallagher, who missed his first game following surgery to repair two fractured fingers on his left hand. Gallagher is expected to be out a minimum of six weeks.
Smith-Pelly, who had one goal in 21 games entering Wednesday, scored twice. Plekanec had three assists, including one on each of Smith-Pelly's goals. Pacioretty also scored a power-play goal and had an assist to give the line a seven-point night.
Smith-Pelly gave Montreal a 2-0 lead at 2:25 of the second period and scored 17 seconds into the third period to make it 3-1.
Sven Andrighetto and Alex Galchenyuk also scored for the Canadiens. Galchenyuk also had an assist.
Montreal gave Condon a cushion to work with by extending their lead to 4-1 on goals from Smith-Pelly and Galchenyuk within the first 1:29 of the third period. Each came off of a turnover by the Rangers.
Pacioretty scored a power-play goal to make it 5-1 at 9:06 of the third.
The Rangers had a nine-game home winning streak end. They hadn't lost at Madison Square Garden since Oct. 18, when the New Jersey Devils defeated them 2-1 in overtime.
Goalie Henrik Lundqvist was pulled after giving up the goal to Pacioretty. He allowed a season-high five goals on 24 shots.
Lundqvist came into the game with a League-best .946 save percentage and 1.74 goals-against average.
Rangers forward Rick Nash scored New York's lone goal on a power play at 17:42 of the second period. It was the Rangers' third power play in a span of 8:27.
Nash had the puck deflect in his off his leg for his fifth goal in the past three games. He had one goal in his first 17 games.
The Canadiens built a 2-0 leads on goals by Andrighetto at 4:45 of the first period and Smith-Pelly early in the second. Each player was uncovered in the slot at the time they scored.
In addition to Price, the Canadiens didn't have forward Alexander Semin for most of the third period. He did not return after taking one shift in the third because of a lower-body injury.
Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music, Soaps
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99
Babe Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonth.html
Hunk Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonthman.html
No comments:
Post a Comment