NHL Roundup : Canadiens Win, Grab Share of the Lead

Ryan Walter knocked in a power-play goal from the corner of the net with less than 3 1/2 minutes remaining Monday night to lift the Montreal Canadiens to a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins at Boston Garden.

The win gave the Canadiens (20-16-6) 46 points to move them into a tie with Hartford for the Adams Division lead.

Boston outshot the Canadiens, 40-20, but was frustrated by the acrobatic goaltending of Patrick Roy. Walter broke the tie just 21 seconds after the Bruins’ Reed Larson was penalized for high sticking at 16:16 of the third period.

Bobby Smith set up the deciding goal by circling the Boston net and letting go a soft shot, which goalie Bill Ranford blocked. The rebound popped a couple of feet into the air, and Walter scored his seventh goal of the season after teammate Claude Lemieux, also at the crease, took a swipe at the puck.

Minnesota 3, New York Rangers 3--Dino Ciccarelli tied the score in the third period with his 32nd goal of the season, and the North Stars held on to tie the Rangers behind the strong goaltending of Kari Takko.

Before Ciccarelli brought the North Stars even at 13:15 with a backhand shot from the slot, the Rangers had rallied to take the lead with three straight goals, two of them by Kelly Kisio in the third period.

Takko, a rookie, blocked 41 shots as the North Stars halted a three-game Ranger winning streak.

Kisio’s 11th and 12th goals of the season capped New York’s three-goal spurt as the Rangers rallied from a 2-0 deficit. The Rangers began their comeback when Tony McKegney scored his 20th goal of the season 14 minutes into the second period on a setup from Kisio.

The game marked the return to the bench of Ranger Coach Tom Webster, who had missed seven games because of ear surgery.

Washington 6, St. Louis 4--Mike Gartner scored at 15:37 of the second period to snap a tie and lift the Capitals to the victory at St. Louis.

Dave Jensen fed Gartner, alone in front of St. Louis goalie Rick Wamsley, from the right corner. The Capitals, who won for only the fourth time in their last 11 games, are 5-0-2 in their last seven games in St. Louis. The loss snapped the Blues’ three-game winning streak.