MONTREAL -- Montreal may have lost more than just the opening game of the series. With the Rangers already leading 2-0, Carey Price was taken down early in the second period of New Yorks 7-2 pounding of the Canadiens in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final on Saturday afternoon. At 3:15 of the second, winger Chris Kreider blew past defenceman Alexei Emelin in the offensive zone to force a breakaway. Kreider lost his balance as he shot the puck, missed the net, and slid skate-first into the Canadiens netminder. Price spent more than 10 seconds lying on the ice clutching his right leg after the hit, and was visibly shaken when he finally got up. He spoke to a member of Montreals medical staff for several seconds after the play, but remained in the game, giving up two more goals before the second intermission. He watched the third period from the bench. "There was no reason to put Carey back in the third," said Habs coach Michel Therrien. "It was just to protect him. You never want to see your goaltender spread out on the ice. But the fact that he didnt play in the third period is unrelated." Therrien and several Canadiens players were convinced Kreiders hit on Price was accidental. There was no penalty call on the play. "It wasnt really sitting for me, so I had my head down trying to settle the puck," said Kreider, who scored the game-winning goal late in the second period. "I put it wide and somehow lost my footing. I thought maybe someone pressured me from behind. I seem to have an issue staying on my feet on those. "I went in skates-first and I just had too much momentum and couldnt really avoid him. It didnt feel too good for me either." Despite brushing off any injury concerns, Therrien refused to answer whether Price would definitely get the start in Game 2 of the series on Monday. "The fact that he didnt play in the third period was more to protect him than anything," repeated Therrien. "We were not sharp in front of him." "You dont want to see that," added Rene Bourque, who kept the Canadiens in the game with his team-leading fifth goal of the playoffs at 12:38 of the second. "Intentional? I dont think so. Hes our best player. It was scary to see. Hopefully hes all right." Price gave up four goals on 20 shots after two periods, including two in less than a minute to end the second period, lowering his post-season save percentage from .926 to .919. The score was 4-1 Rangers at the interval. Montreals frustration showed at the start of the third. The Canadiens took four minor penalties in the first three minutes, and the Rangers welcomed Peter Budaj into the game with three power-play goals on their first four shots. Prior to this one, the Rangers had scored eight goals in their last 10 games at the Bell Centre, dating back to Oct. 2009. And this year, Montreal and New York combined for four goals in three regular-season matchups. But Saturdays game was a real barnburner. The Rangers quieted the sold-out Bell Centre crowd within minutes of the puck drop. Martin St. Louis, after an emotional week during which he lost his mother, opened the score at 4:35 of the first. Mats Zuccarello added another 1:51 later. The Rangers scored twice in 49 seconds to end the second period, and added two more in 25 seconds to open the third. Between the end of the second and start of the final frame, the Rangers scored five times in 5:37, an ignominious post-season record for the five quickest goals allowed by the Canadiens. "Good thing its a seven-game series because we have a chance to get back into it," said Bourque. "We have to be better from the puck drop. We had a little bit of an emotional letdown after the Boston series. We talked about that going into the game. Obviously it didnt click. We have to just forget about this game." This is the 15th playoff meeting between the Canadiens and Rangers. The series is split 7-7. Notes: The Habs have not advanced to the Stanley Cup Final since 1993, when they last hoisted the Cup. a New York coach Alain Vigneault coached Montreal for four seasons between 1997 and 2001. a Henrik Lundqvist has made a team-record 81 consecutive playoff starts for the Rangers. The New York netminder had lost his last four contests at the Bell Centre dating back to March 17, 2009. ... Ryan McDonagh tied a Rangers playoff record with four points in one game by a defenceman. a The Rangers are now 8-2 when scoring first in these playoffs. Mark McGwire Jersey . - Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Percy Harvin has cleared league-mandated concussion protocol and has returned to practice as a full participant. Trevor Rosenthal Jersey . Mladenovics quick hands at the net made the difference while Bencics inexperience in doubles showed. "We took a lot of pleasure," Mladenovic told Sport Plus television. "Its extremely difficult to play in such conditions, but our doubles team showed a lot of quality. http://www.cardinalsrookiestore.com/Card...nn-Kids-Jersey/. The punch happened in the fourth quarter of Milwaukees 116-102 loss to the Kings on Wednesday when the two players became entangled while battling for rebounding position. Adam Wainwright Jersey . On Thursday, a judge said Varlamov could be released if he posted $5,000 bond and be allowed to travel with the team but he was ordered to stay away from his girlfriend, among other restrictions. Ken Boyer Jersey . City, fielding a depleted team having already qualified, was twice pegged back by the plucky Czech champions but substitute Negredo tapped home in the 78th minute and Dzekos header made sure of victory in the 89th. The result kept City three points behind Bayern Munich ahead of their meeting in Germany in two weeks.It should be one great day of football on Sunday when the AFC and NFC championship games take place. With the final four being arguably the four best – and most complete – teams from the regular season, picking a winner is not as easy as it sounds. Which teams do you think will play in Super Bowl XLVIII? On the AFC side, the great quarterback rivalry between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady will have another chapter written as the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots square off at Mile High Stadium. The action can be seen live on CTV with coverage beginning at 2pm et/11am pt. Brady and Manning have played each other 14 times over their careers, with the Patriot pivot taking 10 of those matchups including two out of three in the playoffs. New England came back from 24 points down to beat Denver 34-31 in overtime back in Week 12 to hand the Broncos one of only three losses this season. On paper, the Patriots really have no business being where they are today due to injuries, namely the one to Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski, as well as the offseason departures of Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez. Yet, Brady and head coach Bill Belichick have found a way to be successful. The Broncos, on the other hand, have been a juggernaut offensively all season long with Manning leading the league in passing yards with 5,477 and team offence with 457.3 yards per game. Most would likely say Manning is under more pressure to win this game than Brady simply due to the fact that he has more to work with. But, Manning has a sub-par 10-11 post-season record. Neither club has been great defensively with the Pats and Broncos ranked 26th and 19th respectively in yards per game allowed. Whatever the result, two of greatest quarterbackks in football history shouldnt disappoint in terms of excitement and drama.dddddddddddd In the NFC, its a battle of the next generation of quarterbacks as Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers face off against Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks at the very loud CenturyLink Field. The action can be seen live on CTV starting at 6:30pm et/3:30pm pt. The 49ers – arguably the most complete team in the NFL – have won eight straight games and are the best road team in the league with an 8-2 regular season/playoff record. But their challave lost just once at home over the past two seasons thanks in large part to their roaring crowd, nicknamed "The 12th Man." The division rivals split their two matchups this season. The strength of Seattle all year long has been its league-leading defence helmed by cornerback Richard Sherman. Sherman led the NFL with eight interceptions. Yet their offence is another story. Wilson hasnt had a multiple touchdown performance since Week 13 against the New Orleans Saints and his passer rating has dropped 31.1 points since the game. The status of Seahawks wide receiver Percy Harvin is still up in the air after he suffered a concussion last Sunday in divisional play against the Saints. If the 49ers defence prevents running back Marshawn Lynch from entering "Beast Mode" like he did last week, they stand a good chance of winning if Wilson cant find his groove. With so many intriguing story lines, this matchup has the makings of a classic. The question is: Who you think has what it takes to win the AFC and NFC title games and punch their ticket to New Jersey for Super Bowl XLVIII? Its Your! Call. ' ' '