MONTREAL -- The Canadiens almost let it slip away. Fernando Torres Shirts . With a three-goal lead going into the final period on Saturday, Montreal conceded three straight goals to Detroit, including two in 36 seconds, but ultimately held on for the 5-3 victory. Pavel Datsyuk scored his 16th of the year at 5:11 on the power play, and Luke Glendening reduced the deficit again at 5:47 on a soft backhand shot that Carey Price got a piece of but couldnt keep out. Niklas Kronwall tied it up for Detroit midway through the third, beating Price with a rocket of a slap shot from the point, through traffic, on the man advantage. Instead of keeling over, however, the Canadiens answered Kronwalls game-tying goal with renewed energy. "At that point, you just reset, and go back to what made you successful in the first half of the game," said Montreal captain Brian Gionta. "You have to make sure you dont lose that momentum. Its much easier at home, when you have the crowd. You build some momentum off of them. You make a good play, and things start to snowball the right way again." With seven minutes remaining in a 3-3 game, Gionta helped right the ship. He was credited with his second goal of the evening when his shot, which was initially saved by Detroit netminder Jonas Gustavsson, bounced off defenceman Brian Lashoffs skate and into the net. Alex Galchenyuk added a fifth for the Canadiens two minutes later when a Tomas Plekanec shot deflected off his chest and past Gustavsson, who stopped 19 shots in the loss. "Thats proof that theres a lot of character on this team," said forward Michael Bournival. "Weve done this a few times this year. Even if we concede three straight goals, were able to bounce back. We knew the Red Wings never give up. They had us on our heels to start the third, but we got back on our feet." The red-hot Canadiens (45-27-7) are now 10-2-0 in their last 12 games. With the victory, Montreal remains in second place in the Atlantic, four points clear of division-rivals Tampa Bay, which lost on Saturday. The Habs play three more times - against the Blackhawks, Islanders and Rangers - before the start of their first-round playoff series. Montreal got a goal from each of its four lines against the Red Wings (37-27-14). "We need that depth in scoring," said Gionta. "Thats going to help us down the stretch. We cant just rely on one line. Were a much deeper team now." Fourth-liner Bournival scored the first for the Canadiens, his seventh of the year and first in 37 games, at 14:16 of the first period. The rookie got the play going, intercepting the puck in the neutral zone before feeding Ryan White at the blue-line. White held off defenceman Kyle Quincey and took a weak backhand shot on Gustavsson, who kicked the puck straight to a wide-open Bournival. "Thats Ryan Whites goal," said Bournival. "He charged the net. He made all the effort. I just had an open net. It felt good. But all the credit goes to Ryan." Max Pacioretty made it 2-0 on a great individual effort at 8:52 of the second, going around Kronwall with speed at the Canadiens blue-line to generate a breakaway. Pacioretty fended off a diving Lashoff before beating Gustavsson blocker-side for his ninth goal in his last eight games. With his 39th goal, Pacioretty moved into a tie with Joe Pavelski of the San Jose Sharks for third in NHL scoring. Gionta got in on the action five minutes later, scoring his first of the night after a set play off the end boards landed perfectly on his stick, unmarked in front of the net. The goal was Montreals second in the period on only their third shot. Montreals victory snapped Detroits four-game winning streak. The Red Wings, with 88 points, are holding on to the first of two wild card spots in the East. "We have to be better than we were tonight," said Wings coach Mike Bab****. "Weve been on a good run here where we play hard. I didnt think there was a problem with our energy or our commitment to working hard tonight. We didnt execute well enough with the puck." The Red Wings outshot the Canadiens 37-26, including 15-4 in the second period. But they were repeatedly frustrated by Price, who made 34 saves on the night. "Lets face it. We had the puck a lot, and we didnt find a way to win, thats all," added Bab****. "When youre tied in the third, you need to find a way to win, and we couldnt do that." Both Montreal and Detroit were coming off wins on Friday. The Red Wings scored three times in the first period to beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2, while the Canadiens scored seven straight to down the Ottawa Senators 7-4. Both Price and Gustavsson had the night off on Friday. Notes: The game was Giontas 300th with Montreala Forwards Brandon Prust (upper body), Travis Moen (concussion) and Dale Weise (upper body) did not dressa Defenceman Douglas Murray served his second of a three-game suspension for his elbow to the head of Tampa Bays Mike Kostkaa The Red Wings are seeking a 23rd consecutive playoff appearance. Petr Cech Shirt . The All-Star outfielder and the Yankees agreed Friday to a $45 million, three-year contract, two people familiar with the deal said. John Terry Womens Jersey . It was the first game back in Columbus for Rangers star Rick Nash, the Blue Jackets franchise leader in goals, assists and games. He was given a standing ovation during a video tribute in the first period, but was booed loud and long after a second-period, two-handed shove up high on Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.The Formations The Vancouver Whitecaps made a tactical change for their game against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, dispensing with their preferred 4-2-3-1 formation in favour of a 4-4-2 formation with a diamond midfield. Carl Robinson made three changes to the team that started against the New England Revolution a week ago. Skipper Jay DeMerit replaced Jonny Leveron at the back, Gershon Koffie replaced the concussed Nigel Reo-Coker to make his first start of the season and Pedro Morales replaced Sebastian Fernandez. The changes saw Matias Laba play as Vancouvers holding midfielder, with Russell Teibert on the left and Koffie on the right, leaving Morales to operate as the attacking midfielder. The Dynamo had a bye week last weekend, and head coach Dominic Kinnear decided to field an unchanged lineup from their 1-0 win over the Montreal Impact on March 15. (click for larger image) The Game Tactically, this was an intriguing matchup. The Houston Dynamo are one of the most well-organized teams in MLS, and Kinnear has an experienced squad who are consistent performers. However, Carl Robinsons decision to play a diamond midfield was a clever one. Not only did it allow Robinson to get his most creative player (Morales) into his preferred position, it allowed Vancouver to nullify many of Houstons threats. Both Houston fullbacks – Corey Ashe and Kofi Sarkodie – are encouraged to get forward to supply crosses for Will Bruin and Giles Barnes. The quality of Brad Davis on Houstons left side, coupled with Ashes energy, could have been a real problem for Vancouver. But the introduction of Gershon Koffie on Vancouvers right, coupled with the tactical change to the Whitecaps lineup, limited Houstons ability to generate a supply line from that side. With Russell Teibert shutting down Kofi Sarkodie on Houstons right flank, both Bruin and Barnes were cast adrift, starved of the crosses upon which they thrive. In midfield, Matias Laba had an excellent game for Vancouver, disrupting Boniek Garcias forward progress. The young Argentinian is proving to be an excellent signing for the Whitecaps, and his ability to cover so much ground freed up Pedro Morales to dictate the game. In the opening half, Morales had arguably the best 45 minutes of any player in the Whitecaps relatively short MLS history. His technical ability is superb, and his passing range is magnificent. Time and time again, Morales was able to spring teammates into attacking positions, or change the point of attack with his precise short and long range passing. Vancouver went into the break leading 1-0, courtesy of a Jordan Harvey goal. After his corner kick was cleared, Morales hooked a one-time pass to the back post, where it was nodded across goal by Andy OBrien. Harvey caught the Dynamo defenders flat-footed, and he prodded the ball home from six yards. Vancouver added to their lead in the 58th minute, as Kenny Miller converted a penalty kick after Kofi Sarkodie had handled in the penalty area. Miller scored at the second attempt, as his first kick had to be retaken due to the encroachment of Darren Mattocks. The Jamaican striker could be forgiven for his exuberance – it was his excellent work that created the penalty kick in the first place. Mattocks has yet to score this season – something at which he is surely frustrated – but his play has been much improved over last year. He is holding the ball up well, linking with his teammates, and because of his blistering speed, he is a genuine threat to any defence that chooses to play a high line. Diego Costa Youth Jersey. If he can improve his composure in front of goal, he will surely reach double figures in goals. Down 2-0, Houston brought on Omar Cummings for the ineffective Garcia. Cummings took a place up front alongside Bruin, with Barnes dropping into midfield. The substitution effectively resulted in Houston matching Vancouvers diamond midfield – something that should have been done at the half. Houstons midfield partnership of Garcia and Ricardo Clark never got to grips with the movement of Pedro Morales. The Chilean was everywhere he needed to be to get on the ball – even dropping into the left back position at one point to gain possession. Morales effectively dispelled the notion that a midfield diamond has to be narrow or positionally rigid. Playing Miller up front alongside Mattocks also worked in Vancouvers favour. While Mattocks offered game-breaking speed, Miller offered craft and guile. When Morales vacated the central position, Miller was clever enough to move into that space – meaning Houston always had to be wary of Clark and Garcia getting bypassed. And because Mattocks speed caused the Dynamos Jermaine Taylor and David Horst all kinds of bother, neither centreback wanted to step into midfield and leave the other exposed 1v1. After Houston pulled a goal back through Clark in the 75th minute, Robinson showed his tactical nous by reverting back to a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Teibert slotting in alongside Laba to congest the middle of the park, and substitutes Sebastian Fernandez and Kekuta Manneh taking up wide positions. This allowed Vancouver to see out the remainder of the game, sealing an important three points and maintaining their unbeaten start to the season. The Positives Pedro Morales showed all of the qualities that led the Whitecaps to make him a designated player. He rarely conceded possession, showed fantastic one and two-touch passing range and generally controlled the tempo of the game. The midfield diamond from Vancouver worked very well, and now offers Robinson a viable alternative to the 4-2-3-1 formation that he used in the first three games. Both Russell Teibert and, to a lesser extent, Gershon Koffie, had effective games, and Matias Laba reaffirmed his growing reputation as one of the top holding midfielders in MLS. The Negatives Houston defender David Horst shouldnt be surprised if he receives a phone call from the leagues Disciplinary Committee this week. On two occasions, Horst used excessive force against Vancouver players. The first was a deliberate elbow into the ribs of Pedro Morales; the second, a deliberate elbow into the neck of Kekuta Manneh. Given the leagues recent precedent of handing out supplementary discipline, Horst could well be in line for a suspension. The Star Man Camilo who? Pedro Morales is making disgruntled Whitecaps fans quickly forget last seasons departed top scorer, as Morales had a magnificent game for Vancouver. He is quickly establishing himself as the number ten that fans have always craved – a technically gifted, free-flowing maestro whose lead the other players follow. With eight points from their opening four games – including two impressive home wins – the Vancouver Whitecaps are off to a great start under Carl Robinson. Vancouvers next match is on Saturday, April 5 (6:30pm ET, 3:30pm PT on CTV BC) against the Colorado Rapids. ' ' '
