Pacioretty's ninth in nine games lifts Canadiens to 2-1 win over Bruins | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Pacioretty's ninth in nine games lifts Canadiens to 2-1 win over Bruins

Boston Bruins' Johnny Boychuk is carried off the ice after taking a hit from Montreal Canadiens' Max Pacioretty during first period NHL hockey action Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013 in Montreal. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson)

MONTREAL - Max Pacioretty's ninth goal in the last nine games was the game-winner as the Montreal Canadiens stretched their unbeaten run to nine with a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.

Tomas Plekanec also scored for Montreal (18-9-3), which jumped a point ahead of Boston (18-8-2) into first place in the Atlantic Division, although the Bruins hold two games in hand. The Canadiens are 8-0-1 in their last nine outings.

Gregory Campbell scored for Boston, which is 6-2-1 in its last nine.

Boston owned the first and third periods and outshot Montreal 33-27. Montreal goalie Carey Price was especially sharp in the final 20 minutes.

The first meeting of the season between the bitter divisional rivals had the Bell Centre at top volume to start, but emotion was sucked from building when Boston defenceman Johnny Boychuk was taken from the ice on a stretcher only 4:28 into the game.

Boychuk was injured from a hit by Pacioretty, who got two minutes for boarding. He was able to move all his limbs as he was taken to hospital but there was no further word on his condition.

Boston had a 10-3 first period shot advantage and got the first goal at 17:35. Andrei Markov cleared the puck to the Boston blue-line, where Dennis Seidenberg kicked it forward, sending Milan Lucic in on a two-on-one break. The big winger slipped a pass to Campbell for a shot into an open side.

Plekanec tied it 9:16 into the second when he beat Tuukka Rask from a tight angle with a medium speed wrist shot.

A burst of speed from Brendan Gallagher caused confusion in the Boston defence and Pacioretty backhanded a Raphael Diaz rebound in from the slot at 17:42. Pacioretty's last nine goals have all come on home ice.

The Canadiens, coming off a 4-3 shootout win in New Jersey on Wednesday, were playing a third game in four nights while the Bruins had been off since Saturday.

The teams meet again Jan. 30 in Boston.

Notes: Montreal dressed Douglas Murray and George Parros and sat out Francis Bouillon and Ryan White, who both played Wednesday in New Jersey. Rene Bourque remains sidelined with an upper-body injury. . . Parros got his first shot on goal in seven games as a Canadien. . . Adam McQuaid (lower body) was out for Boston, while Jordan Caron and Kevan Miller were healthy scratches. . . As in other NHL rinks, a moment's silence was held for Nelson Mandela.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2013
The Canadian Press

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