NHL: Montreal 6, N.Y. Rangers 2

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MONTREAL, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Maxim Lapierre scored unassisted early in the second period Thursday to give Montreal a four-goal lead en route to a 6-2 win over the New York Rangers.

Montreal won its third straight, equaling its longest winning streak of the season. The three wins have come at the start of a seven-game homestand.

Andrei Kostitsyn, Steve Begin and Alex Tanguay produced first-period goals and Lapierre jumped on a turnover and beat Henrik Lundqvist 3:35 into the second.

The Rangers cut their deficit to 4-2 by the end of the second period, but Montreal's Robert Lang scored 49 seconds deep in the third period to end thoughts of a New York comeback.

Carey Price needed to make just 18 saves to get the victory. The Rangers saw their advantage over Pittsburgh cut to four points atop the Atlantic Division.