Canadiens zero in on Bruins with wild night

Montreal 8, Minnesota 1; P.K. Subban provides hat-trick magic

BY PAT HICKEY, THE GAZETTE MARCH 21, 2011 9:24 AM COMMENTS (5)

Montreal Canadiens' Ryan White celebrates his first career goal against the Minnesota Wild with teammates P.K. Subban (76) and David Desharnais (58) during the first period in St. Paul on Sunday.

Photograph by: Eric Miller, Reuters

ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Montreal Canadiens put themselves in position to catch the Boston Bruins for first place in the Northeast Division with a decisive 8-1 win over the Minnesota Wild Sunday.

It was the most goals the Canadiens have scored in a game this season and the win gave them 87 points, one fewer than the Bruins. The Bruins do have two games in hand, but the Canadiens can strengthen their bid with a victory Thursday in Boston.

The win here could best be described as a team effort. Thirteen different players collected at least one point and it was impossible to select three stars without slighting someone.