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Get your game notes: Rangers at Canadiens

Francis Bouillon, Derek Dorsett,

Montreal Canadiens’ Francis Bouillon, right, fights with New York Rangers’ Derek Dorsett during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, April 12, 2014, in Montreal. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes)

AP

Tonight on NBCSN, it’s the Montreal Canadiens hosting the New York Rangers starting at 8 p.m. ET. Following are some game notes, as compiled by the NHL on NBC research team:

• Martin St. Louis scored 6:02 into overtime to give the Rangers a 3-2 victory in Game 4, and a 3-1 lead in the series. It was the winger’s fourth-career overtime winner, and his first since Game 6 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Final, when he was a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. His four OT winners are tied with 12 other players for fourth in Stanley Cup playoff history; the only players ahead of him are Joe Sakic (8), Maurice Richard (6) and Glenn Anderson (5).

• The Canadiens dug themselves a hole when they lost Games 1 and 2 at Bell Centre, as only one team, the 1944-45 Red Wings, has won a best-of-seven conference final or NHL semifinal series after losing the first two at home (17 tries). That hole got deeper after the Habs only salvaged a split at Madison Square Garden. Only one team, the 1999-2000 Devils, has won a best-of-seven conference final or NHL semifinal series when down three-games-to-one (66 tries). Montreal is 0-6 all-time when down 3-1. (Elias)

• The Stanley Cup playoffs went to four rounds in 1975. With a win tonight, the Rangers will become the first team to win a conference final or NHL semifinal series after going the distance in the first two rounds. (Los Angeles (up 3-1 vs. Chicago, Game 5 on Wednesday) can achieve the same feat in the Western Conference.) Before this season, eight teams played the maximum 14 games in Rounds 1 and 2 (and five others went the distance in shorter first-round series), but all of them lost in their conference final or NHL semifinal series.

• The Rangers lead all teams with 20 first-period goals this postseason and nine wins (9-2 record) when leading after the first period. The Rangers are 9-0 when leading at the second intermission, 2-1 when tied, and 0-6 when trailing. This series, the Rangers have scored first in three of the four games and have allowed the Canadiens to hold a lead for only 2:50 (17 seconds in Game 2 and 2:43 in Game 3).

• Tonight, Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist could become the franchise’s all-time leader in career wins, passing Mike Richter (41 wins). Lundqvist, who shares the league lead in wins this postseason (11, Jonathan Quick), and leads outright in GAA (1.98) and save% (.931), has allowed two or fewer goals in a playoffs-high 14 of 18 starts. Quick is second, two or fewer GA in 10 of 18 starts.

• Dustin Tokarski, who made 26 saves in Game 4, will try to become the first Canadiens goaltender with 10 or fewer career regular-season appearances (he has 10) to help his team stave off playoff elimination since 1971. Ken Dryden (6 games) went 4-0 when facing elimination in 1971 in leading the Habs to the Stanley Cup title. The only other Montreal goalie with so little previous regular-season experience was Steve Penney (4 games), who lost Game 6 of the 1984 Eastern Conf. Final vs. N.Y. Islanders. (Elias)

• In Game 4, the Rangers allowed a third-period power-play goal to Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban after 28 consecutive kills over a 25-period span (8+ games). The Blueshirts were shorthanded eight times in Game 4 and committed nine minor penalties. In their previous 68 playoff games (since Game 4 of their 2008 Eastern Conference quarterfinal series vs. New Jersey), they only had that many minor penalties once (9, vs. New Jersey in Game 4 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Final).

• Alain Vigneault is the third Rangers head coach to win 11 or more games in one playoff year. All three won 11+ in their first seasons behind the New York bench. Fred Shero led the 1978-79 Rangers to 11 wins and a berth in the Stanley Cup Final (they lost in five games to Montreal), and Mike Keenan led the 1993-94 Rangers to 16 wins and the franchise’s only Stanley Cup title since 1940.