New York Rangers' David Desharnais moves in on Montreal Canadiens goaltender Antti Niemi during the third period in Montreal, on Feb. 22, 2018.Graham Hughes
Antti Niemi made 31 saves as the Montreal Canadiens beat the struggling New York Rangers 3-1 on Thursday to snap their six-game losing skid.
Tomas Plekanec, Jeff Petry and Phillip Danault, in the empty net, scored for Montreal (23-29-8), which avoided matching its longest losing streak of the season. Niemi got the start in relief of the injured Carey Price.
Before the game, Montreal announced Price will be sidelined indefinitely with a concussion. The Canadiens goalie took a shot to the mask in Tuesday's loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Kevin Hayes scored the only goal for the visiting Rangers (27-29-5), who have lost five games in a row. Alexandar Georgiev, making his NHL debut, stopped 38-of-40 shots.
Earlier on Thursday, the team also announced veteran defenceman Shea Weber will miss the rest of the season as he undergoes surgery for a torn tendon in his left foot. The 32-year-old has not played since Dec. 16.
Hayes spoiled Niemi's shutout bid with exactly three minutes remaining in the third period. The Rangers forward appeared to have kicked the puck straight into the net, but instead deflected the puck with his stick before it crossed the line.
With Price and Weber out of the lineup, another veteran stepped up for the home side.
Plekanec made it 1-0 for the Canadiens at 6:59 of the first period with his sixth goal of the season. The 35-year-old beat defenceman Rob O'Gara to the puck to bury a no-look feed from Paul Byron.
In the second period, Charles Hudon connected with Petry on a 2-on-1 for Montreal's second of the game at 3:50. Hudon's saucer pass narrowly avoided Brady Skjei's slide and landed right on Petry's stick at the side of the net. Petry has scored 10 goals for the first time in his career.
The play got started with a big hit by Nicolas Deslauriers in the neutral zone.
Danault scored into the empty net from deep in his own zone with 1:17 left on the clock.
Both goalies were solid throughout the contest, with Niemi getting the better of the 22-year-old Georgiev.
Montreal's Noah Juulsen made his NHL debut. He finished with two shots and one blocked shot in 16:21 of ice time.
Rick Nash and Michael Grabner were healthy scratches for New York, likely to avoid any injuries before Monday's trade deadline. Two weeks ago, the Rangers organization, in a letter to fans, strongly suggested a roster overhaul was imminent.
The U.S. women's hockey team crushed Canada at the Winter Olympics for the first time since 1998.
Reuters