Rangers 0 - 1 Canadiens
Final - OT
  for this game

Gionta's OT penalty shot lifts Habs over Rangers

Apr 13, 2014 - 3:49 AM Montreal, QC (SportsNetwork.com) - Brian Gionta scored on a penalty shot in overtime and the Montreal Canadiens concluded the regular season with a 1-0 win over the New York Rangers at Bell Centre.

The Rangers turned the puck over near the blue line in the Montreal zone. Gionta had a step on former Canadiens defenseman Raphael Diaz, who tripped the Montreal captain in the neutral zone.

New York goaltender Cam Talbot stopped the first 26 shots he faced, but Gionta used a deke before scoring on a backhander at the 2:04 mark of the extra session.

"Gionta made a nice move on the penalty shot and I did a pretty good job of staying with him, but he got his backhand up and you know the rest of the story," Talbot said.

Gionta was excited about the penalty shot.

"Everyone wants to win the game and when the game is on your stick and you have that chance, you've got to enjoy it and have fun with it," he said.

Carey Price made 41 saves to record his sixth shutout of the season as Montreal (46-28-8) moved one point ahead of Tampa Bay for home-ice advantage in a first-round playoff matchup with the Lightning.

Tampa Bay needs to win Sunday at Washington to secure home ice.

The Rangers (45-31-6) will open the playoffs at home against Philadelphia.

An area of concern for Montreal as the club enters the postseason is the power play. The Canadiens were 0-for-3 on the man advantage Saturday, extending their drought to 0-for-23 over the final eight games.

One of the Rangers' best scoring chances came in the second period, when Diaz fired a shot that beat Price but caromed off both posts.

Game Notes

Talbot blanked the Habs in Montreal on Nov. 16 for his first career NHL shutout ... Prior to the game, the Canadiens signed goaltender Dustin Tokarski to a two-year contract extension.






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