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"They have a lot going for them. They are a very good team, as everyone knows. We knew it would be a tough task, but I like the fact that we worked hard."
The Rangers came into this game facing a lot less pressure because their lead in the East grew this week from one point to five over Pittsburgh, which surprisingly lost twice to the out-of-contention New York Islanders.
Although there wasn't much action over the first two periods, the Rangers scored once in each frame and were never threatened by the Canadiens, who are just hoping to escape the East cellar. This low position is quite unfamiliar to Montreal, which won the Stanley Cup for the first time on this date in 1916.
Gaborik got the Rangers going 8:59 in when he took a second whack at a rebound of Richards' shot in the slot and slid the puck inside the left post for his 39th goal.
Richards made it 2-0 just 30 seconds into the second. He took a pass from Derek Stepan at the blue line, skated into the high slot, and snapped in his 25th goal. New York took advantage of a penalty for too many men on the ice called against Montreal in the final minute of the first period.
Del Zotto scored a rare power-play goal 8:17 into the third, firing a shot that squeezed past Price. He made it 4-0 with 3:02 remaining, scoring his 10th of the season. Gaborik and Richards earned assists on the final goal.
Although their power play came in ranked third from the bottom in the NHL at 14.7 percent, the Rangers are remarkably efficient when they cash in -- going 24-1-4 in games in which they score a power-play goal.
The Rangers are 4 for 9 on the power play in the past two games.
"With the skill we have, we're going to be able to score goals," Del Zotto said. "You see just the way we're moving the puck, we're moving bodies.
"We're not predictable. Teams don't know exactly where we're going to be attacking from or what's going to be happening. That's what makes us deadly right now."
NOTES: Lundqvist has held opponents to two goals or fewer 40 times this season, including six of the past eight. ... Rangers captain Ryan Callahan was given the team's Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award before the game. He and Adam Graves are the only three-time winners. ... The Canadiens and Rangers split the four-game season series.
[Associated Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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