NHL

Rangers destroy Canadiens, 7-2, in Montreal

MONTREAL — A House of Horrors no longer. Instead, what went down on Saturday afternoon was a Bell Centre Beatdown.

The Rangers quieted a handful of demons along with the raucous home crowd in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, hammering the Canadiens in a 7-2 win that got this best-of-seven series off on an unexpected high note.

“The best part about playing on the road is making great plays and not letting them get into it, not letting them have something to cheer about,” Marc Staal said. “That’s a good feeling when you’re able to do that in a road rink — especially here.”

This creaking and wonderful building was one first-year Rangers coach Alain Vigneault had to make a joke about, explaining to his team throughout the season that “there are no ghosts here.” Before their 1-0 win on Nov. 16, the Rangers had lost eight in a row in Montreal. And goalie Henrik Lundqvist had failed to register a win here since March 17, 2009, sitting four straight in favor of a backup, his most recent start coming Jan. 15, 2012.

Ryan McDonagh likes the look of his third-period score on Sunday.Getty Images

“You guys like to talk about it, you like to ask me about it, I haven’t played here in a while, but it’s still the same game,” said Lundqvist, who finished with 20 saves on 22 shots, none bigger than early in the second period when he made dazzling stops on P.K. Subban and Max Pacioretty to keep the lead at 2-0.

“Last time we played here, we had a different team and I think I’ve grown as a goalie, as well. But every time you play a game, you have to show yourself and your teammates that you can play. So, yeah, we got a great start here.”

The Rangers scored seven goals from seven different players — including Rick Nash, his first of the playoffs — the first time the franchise has done that in the postseason since 1983. Eleven players had at least one point, and it was the most goals the Rangers have scored in the postseason since a 7-0 win over the Thrashers in 2007.

“There is a lot of hockey left,” said defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who was an offensive powerhouse, going to the net to help produce Mats Zuccarello’s goal that made it 2-0 early in the first, and later scoring the fifth goal on a power play. “We can’t fall into the trap of just looking at the score.”

Price laments his third goal allowed in the first period, to Chris Kreider.AP
Martin St. Louis celebrates his first-period goal.Paul J. Bereswill

The Rangers’ good start to the game was more than just an opening salvo, as it was Martin St. Louis who netted a terrific cross-ice backhanded pass from Dominic Moore to make it 1-0 just 4:35 in. This game was sandwiched between St. Louis having the wake for his mother in nearby Laval, Quebec, on Friday night, and the funeral coming on Sunday, an emotional time for him and the team.
“We’re, for sure, very close right now,” St. Louis said, “and we’re trying to keep feeding off of that.”

What they can now do is feed off a win, one that proved they can come into this building and put together the same type of fast offensive attack and stout defensive effort that got them past the Flyers and Penguins. Goals from Chris Kreider and Brad Richards late in the second period made it 4-1, while Derek Stepan and Nash piled on in the third for a 7-1 lead.

The Canadiens, who got tallies from Rene Bourque and Lars Eller, were slow and sluggish throughout, seemingly still hungover from their own Game 7 triumph on Wednesday night up in Boston. So bad they were that coach Michel Therrien yanked starting goalie Carey Price — a former Rangers killer — in favor of Peter Budaj to start the third period, his team down, 4-1.

“Our guys know that we’re up against a real good team, they beat the best team in the NHL,” Vigneault said. “We know we have our hands full.”

Now the Canadiens know they have their hands full, as well, with Lundqvist and his mates not wasting any time turning this home of rancid memories right on its head.

“We haven’t won that many games in this building,” Lundqvist said, “and it feels good to get a great start.”