Canadiens 5, Rangers 1
NEW YORK -- Right winger Devante Smith-Pelly scored twice as the Montreal Canadiens earned a potentially costly 5-1 victory against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.
Goaltender Carey Price stopped 22 of 23 shots to grab the win, but left the game after two periods for undisclosed reasons. He missed eight games earlier this season with a lower-body injury and was playing in only his third game since returning.
Backup goaltender Mike Condon turned aside 11 shots in the third period.
Center Alex Galchenyuk, left winger Max Pacioretty and right winger Sven Andrighetto also scored for the Canadiens, who won their third straight.
Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was yanked midway through the third period after allowing five goals on 24 shots. Goaltender Antti Raanta stopped the only shot he faced.
Rangers left winger Rick Nash scored his seventh goal of the season for the Rangers, who had not lost at home in regulation since Oct. 13, a span of 10 games (9-0-1).
Andrighetto put the Canadiens 1-0 at 4:45 of the first period. Defenseman PK Subban's shot toward the net was deflected by center Lars Eller to an open Andrighetto, who backhanded his first goal of the season past Lundqvist.
Smith-Pelly extended the lead to 2-0 at 2:25 of the second period after the Rangers lost track of him in coverage. Left winger Max Pacioretty moved the puck to the top of the crease as Smith-Pelly banged home his second of the season against a helpless Lundqvist.
Nash scored a power-play goal with 2:18 remaining to cut the Canadiens' lead to 2-1. Defenseman Ryan McDonagh's long wrist shot hit Nash's body and deflected in.
Smith-Pelly and Galchenyuk scored during the first 1:29 of the third period to break open the game. Smith-Pelly's second goal was reminiscent of his first, a tap-in from point-blank range, while Galchenyuk beat Lundqvist from a sharp angle for an unassisted goal.
Pacioretty chased Lundqvist at 9:06 with a power-play goal. Again, the Rangers defense was nowhere near the front of the net, and Pacioretty redirected a pass to the crease from Galchenyuk to make it 5-1 Canadiens.
NOTES: Canadiens D Alexei Emelin returned to the lineup after missing five games with a lower-body injury. He took the place of D Greg Pateryn. ... This was the Canadiens' first game since RW Brendan Gallagher had surgery to repair two fractured fingers. He will miss at least six weeks after playing in 166 consecutive games. ... C Bud Holloway and D Jarred Tinordi were scratches. ... The Rangers scratched RW Emerson Etem and D Dylan McIlrath. ... Eight of the previous nine meetings between these teams featured one team shutting out the other.