Rangers defeat Habs to end 4 game winning streak

 Source: hockeyinsideout.com

What to say about the showdown on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden: penalties, and lots of them. Racking up 40 minutes of penalties between 9 different players, including one for too many men, let's just say the chances for New York to fire up the score board weren't scarce whatsoever. It really was one of those games that got the blood pressure rising. It almost felt like I was watching an old school Broad Street Bullies Philadelphia Flyers game when 5 Montreal players sitting in the penalty box. Pretty soon they would have been close to taking out the folding chairs for those who didn't have room on the bench in the box. Oh, and did I mention; Nokelainen got kicked out of the game?
With 32 of those 40 minutes of penalties taking place in the first period, the Rangers dominated the first 20 minutes of the game, outscoring the Canadiens 16-3, and taking a 3 goal lead. Montreal bounced back in the second, with goals by Pacioretty and Kostitsyn, being short of a goal to tie things up, until Brad Richards ended the second period with a 4-2 lead in favor of the Rangers. The Canadiens scored a late one in the 3rd, being short of one goal again, to further lose the game 5-3 to an empty netter.
Definitely not some of the best hockey the Canadiens are capable of, although it was quite the entertainment for some Saturday night hockey.