01-03-2020, 02:12 AM
MONTREAL -- Rene Bourque scored three goals as the Montreal Canadiens chased goalie Henrik Lundqvist and defeated the New York Rangers 7-4 on Tuesday to stave off elimination in the NHL Eastern Conference final. Ilya Bryzgalov Jersey . The Rangers, who lead the best-of-seven series 3-2, will have another chance to book a trip to the Stanley Cup final in Game 6 on Thursday night in New York. Bourques second goal proved to be the game-winner and came just after the Rangers came back to tie the game at 4-4 in the second period. "Everybody was ready for this game," said Bourque. "We knew the situation. We got a big power-play goal early and a few others. "It was just a see-saw battle back and forth. (Dale) Weise made a great play to me. I called for the puck and somehow it got through. It was nice to get in there." Alex Galchenyuk, Tomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty also scored for Montreal, which outshot the Rangers 28-27 Derek Stepan, playing with a guard on his helmet to protect a broken jaw suffered from a Brandon Prust hit in Game 3, returned to the lineup to score twice for the Rangers. Chris Kreider had a goal and three assists and Rick Nash also scored. "It was just a strange game," said Rangers coach Alain Vigneault. "It was a different game from what weve seen so far in the series, but now were going home." At 10:41 of the third, Rangers defenceman John Moore was given a major penalty and was ejected for a blindside, open ice hit on Dale Weise that was almost identical to Prusts hit on Stepan. Weise was wobbly when he got up and went for treatment, but returned to the bench late in the period. "The league will do what it has to do," Vigneault said of the hit. "John is not the type of person who would try to hurt someone, but it was a late hit." It was a night of strange bounces and spotty goaltending, even if New Yorks best chance of the game saw Carl Hagelins shot stopped by the end of Dustin Tokarskis stick midway through the first period. Lundqvist was pulled in favour of Cam Talbot after allowing four goals on 18 shots, while Tokarski stayed in despite allowing four on his first 14. Tokarski was especially strong in the third period through a string of New York power plays. "Everybody talks about how (Lundqvist) is a great goalie: Has he been better than (Tokarski) this series?" asked Bourque. "I dont think so. "(Tokarski) made some big saves for us too. We had a couple bad bounces but our power play was the difference. We got some traction, got a couple goals in tight." The Rangers did a good job of cancelling the initial rush Montreal gets from its pre-game buildup in winning the opening two games of the series, but Ginette Renos O Canada worked to plan this time. Only 22 seconds in, Kreider was sent off for tripping and the Canadiens converted when Galchenyuk tipped in P.K. Subbans point shot from the edge of the crease at 1:48. Stepan tied it at 10:44 of the first on a 30-foot shot off a rush that fooled Tokarski. Plekanec restored the lead with a similar goal at 12:24 as he swiped the puck between two defenders and saw it beat Lundqvist. The second period was a festival of goals. Pacioretty got it started on a gritty feed from Brendan Gallagher at 3:44 and Bourque gave Montreal a three-goal lead when he spun and scored from close range. That chased Lundqvist. Nash whipped a puck at the Montreal net and saw it go in off defenceman Andrei Markovs skate 9:48, Stepan got his second in a mass scramble in front of Tokarski at 12:06 and Kreider tied it on a power play at 14:12 on a tic-tac-toe play after Subban lost his stick. The Bell Centre went quiet, but exploded again when Bourque got his second at 15:10 as he beat Talbot from 10 feet out. Several hats were thrown on the ice after Weise sent Bourque in alone to get his third of the game 6:33 into the third period. Desharnais scored into an empty net during a New York power play at 15:43 and crowd sang Ole Ole in celebration. "I think youre starting to see us playing Montreal Canadiens hockey," said Pacioretty. "I dont think youve really seen it in this series just yet. It was great to see a little taste of it. I think we still have more. I think we still have little things to work on. And it should be a fun one going back there." Notes: Canadiens defenceman Alexei Emelin, who appears to have been playing on bad knee, sat out with an undisclosed injury. Rookie Nathan Beaulieu played on the third pairing, while Mike Weaver moved onto the second pair with Andrei Markov. . . With eight playoff goals, Bourque is only one short of his total in 63 regular season games. . . Prust served the second of his two-game suspension and can return for Game 6. . . With Stepan back, J.T. Miller sat for New York. Peter Mueller Jersey . On Wednesday, Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas hit back. In a passionate defence of himself and the London clubs medical staff, the Portuguese coach rebuked the "incompetent people" who have attacked Tottenham for allowing Lloris to continue playing after being briefly knocked unconscious against Everton on Sunday. Connor Murphy Jersey . Having won the first leg 1-0 in Barcelona, Madrid entered the match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium already in control and quickly sealed its place in the semifinals when Jese Rodriguez scored in the seventh minute. https://www.cheapcoyotes.com/148z-brando...yotes.html . - Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis said Wednesday hes "nodded off" during meetings, but he said its something every player does.MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Vikings and former punter Chris Kluwe said Tuesday they reached a settlement averting a lawsuit over Kluwes claim that the team wrongfully released him last year because of his outspoken support for same-sex marriage rights. Under the deal, the Vikings will donate an undisclosed sum of money to five gay rights-related charities over the next five years. Kluwe said he wont receive any money as part of the settlement. "This will help a lot of people that really do need that help," Kluwe said. He said he was convinced the Vikings and owners Zygi and Mark Wilf were committed to the cause, and committed to being leaders on this issue in the NFL. "They want to make this a reality where there is no discrimination in sports, there is no homophobia," Kluwe said at a news conference. The Vikings said in a statement that the deal resolves all issues related to Kluwes departure from the team and his accusations that a coach made anti-gay comments. Zygi Wilf said he wished Kluwe the best. "In regards to this matter, our focus remains on maintaining a culture of tolerance, inclusion and respect, and creating the best workplace environment for our players, coaches and staff," Wilf said in the statement. Under the settlement, the Vikings also agreed to require all team employees to undergo sensitivity training four times a year. The team will also host a national symposium in Minneapolis next spring that will address LGBT issues and professional athletics, said Kluwes attorney, Clayton Halunen. In addition to his wrongful termination claim, Kluwe alleged that special teams co-ordinator Mike Priefer made anti-gay comments and tried to agitate him with homophobic language. Last month, the team issued a 29-page summary of a report that found no merit to Kluwes claim that he was wrongfully dismissed, but it confirmed that Priefer made anti-gay remarks during practice. Dale Hawerchuk Jersey. The Vikings suspended Priefer for three games and ordered him to undergo sensitivity training. Kluwe threatened to sue the team if it didnt release the full 150-page report, but Halunen said Tuesday that the Vikings had done a thorough investigation into Kluwes allegations. Halunen said he and Kluwe had initially pushed for the reports release out of concern that there may have been a systemic problem within the organization, but they viewed the full report as part of mediation and are satisfied there are no widespread issues. Halunen identified two of the five nonprofits as the Matthew Shepard Foundation and You Can Play, a charity run by retired NFL player Wade Davis, who is gay. Both focus on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. He did not disclose the names of the other charities, saying they hadnt been notified yet. He said the financial terms werent disclosed due to a confidentiality agreement, adding: "This is a substantial commitment to LGBT causes." Kluwe averaged 44.4 yards per punt over his eight-season career in Minnesota, including a career-high 39.7 yard net average in 2012. But he ranked just 17th in the NFL in punting that season before he was cut. He hasnt gotten a kicking job elsewhere since his release. He said Tuesday he is considering writing a book and pursuing public speaking opportunities. Kluwe said taking a stand was worth it. "Its always worth it," he said. "You have a childrens game, and you have basic human rights. And theres one of those Im always going to value more than the other." ' ' '