MONTREAL -- The Columbus Blue Jackets ran rings around the Canadiens all night. Montreal took eight minor penalties and played almost an entire period shorthanded in their 3-2 loss to a speedy Blue Jackets team on Thursday night. "They were first on the puck, making us react to them, putting us on our heels a bit," said Lars Eller of a young and energized Columbus team in the heart of a heated playoff race. "When they do that, we take penalties." Montreal played more than 15 minutes down a man, including 50 seconds on a 5-on-3. Seven different players did time in the penalty box for hooking, tripping, holding, high-sticking and once for having too many men on the ice. Forwards Brian Gionta, Daniel Briere and Max Pacioretty saw their average ice time significantly reduced. "There were a lot of guys sitting on the bench for long stretches that should have been out there," said Eller. "Its not good for our rhythm. We want to be five guys on the ice." The undisciplined Canadiens began showing signs of frustration midway through the second period, taking several unwarranted penalties. Newcomer Thomas Vanek gave Columbus Artem Anisimov a slew-foot when he was beaten to the puck, and Ryan White hooked Ryan Johansen after the 21-year-old flew past him. In the third, P.K. Subban and Tomas Plekanec took back-to-back penalties for high-sticking. But as successful as the Blue Jackets were in drawing penalties, their power play was a bit of a dud. Columbus went 0 for 8 with the extra skater, and saw all 13 power-play shots turned away by Carey Price. "Wed love to get a power-play goal," said Columbus forward Brandon Dubinsky, whose teams power-play unit has not found the back of the net it its last 26 opportunities. "Its going to be important down the stretch. But we didnt earn all those power plays without playing the right way." Dubinsky scored the go-ahead goal at 6:53 of the second period, at even strength, to give the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead after burying a juicy rebound past an off-balance Price. "We skated, we were physical, we fore-checked hard," added Dubinsky. "I liked our tenacity. We created turnovers." One of those turnovers came on the game-winning goal. Johansen made rookie defenceman Jarred Tinordi pay for a giveaway at the Canadiens blue-line. Johansen intercepted Tinordis weak pass, and beat Price on a partial breakaway for his team-leading 27th goal of the year at 16:59 of the third period. "That doesnt feel good," said Tinordi, who had an otherwise solid game, blocking three shots in 15:29 of work. "Its a stupid play on my part. I put it on my backhand, trying to go through the middle. (Johansens) a quick player. I should have anticipated he was going to be there." The Blue Jackets (36-27-6) showcased their speed from the get-go, setting the tone after the initial faceoff by springing Cam Atkinson on a breakaway in the games first six seconds. Price, who stopped 37 shots for the Canadiens (38-26-7), got the better of him. But it was Prices counterpart, last seasons Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky, who got the better of the Canadiens in the end. Bobrovsky made 25 saves for the win, and has now started the last 16 games for the Blue Jackets as well as 23 of their last 24. The Habs beat Bobrovsky in the first period when Brendan Gallagher turned his stick into a baseball bat, hitting a puck out of mid-air at 14:53 to give the Canadiens the 1-0 lead. After an initial save, Gallagher took a swing at a waist-high puck, which floated above the net, landed on Bobrovsky chest and trickled past the goal-line. Columbus wasted no time finding their equalizer, scoring exactly one minute after the Canadiens. With the youngster Johansen in the box for cross checking, Derek MacKenzie scored a short-handed goal right off the faceoff. The Blue Jackets are now tied for third in the league with nine short-handed goals on the season. After the Canadiens killed off three straight minor penalties to start the third, Vanek made it 2-2 at 7:46 with a slapshot from the face off circle to Bobrovskys right. The Blue Jackets have now collected 15 out of a possible 20 points in their last 10 games (7-2-1). The team is holding on to the last wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Columbus hopes to play post-season hockey for only the second time in the franchises 14-year history. In 2009, they were eliminated by the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference quarter-finals. Notes: Brandon Prust (upper-body injury) was not in the lineup for the Canadiens. Prust was hurt in Tuesdays 6-3 win against the Colorado Avalanche. Ryan White got the start in his place. ... RJ Umberger was a healthy scratch for the Blue Jackets. Rene Bourque and Douglas Murray sat out for the Canadiens. ... Max Pacioretty hasnt scored in seven games, his longest goal drought since November. Hes two goals shy of 100 with the Canadiens. ... The Montreal Impacts Marco Di Vaio, Patrice Bernier and Justin Mapp were in attendance. Cheap Custom Hockey Jerseys Free Shipping . -- Michael Bennett gambled last off-season that playing on a one-year deal in Seattle would pay off in the future with the long-term contract he always wanted. Custom Columbus Blue Jackets Jerseys .J. -- The New York Jets have promoted Tony Sparano Jr. http://www.customjerseyshockey.com/custo...rseys-149b.html. -- Thirty years ago, the Detroit Pistons beat the Denver Nuggets 186-184 in triple overtime, a game that remains the highest scoring in NBA history. Custom Los Angeles Kings Jerseys . -- Chris Crawford hit a 3-pointer with 1:36 left to put Memphis ahead to stay, and the 21st-ranked Tigers beat seventh-ranked Louisville 72-66 Saturday, sweeping the season series from the Cardinals. Custom Chicago Blackhawks Jerseys . The stress, the waiting, the whispers about whether he doped during his stellar cycling career, all of it ended when - after nearly two years - federal prosecutors closed an investigation of him last week without bringing any charges.The New York Islanders made a surprise move, re-uniting a pair of linemates with big free agent contracts. Numbers Game looks into the Islanders getting Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin. The Islanders Get: C Mikhail Grabovski and LW Nikolai Kulemin. Grabovski, 30, has been a productive centre, scoring 160 points in 261 games over the past four seasons, which ranks 98th among NHL forwards. While that alone is a decent indication of Grabovskis ability to contribute as a second-line centre, hes put up terrific relative possession numbers in four of the last five seasons, the only exception being in 2012-2013 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, when he was effectively buried in a defensive role. That led to his being bought out by the Maple Leafs in one of the more ridiculous decisions in the history of NHL contract buyouts. One year after he was bought out by the Maple Leafs and could only drum up enough interest to secure a one-year, $3-million deal as a free agent, Grabovski signed for four years and $20-million with the Isles. Going to the Islanders should offer Grabovski an opportunity to get favourable matchups, with zone starts tilted towards the offensive zone and softer opposition while opponents send their best at John Tavares line and the Islanders put Frans Nielsens line out for the toughest defensive assignments. Grabovski has scored 20 or more goals three times and topped 50 points twice. His career points per game of 0.59 works out to 48 points over an 82-game schedule, so maybe something around a 50-point season is the best-case scenario, but if Grabovski can put up between 40 and 50 points with typically strong possession stats over the course of his contract, he will be a solid addition for the Islanders. Grabovskis departure from Washington leaves a hole at second-line centre, one that still needs to be filled, unless Marcus Johansson or Evgeny Kuznetsov fit into that spot. Kulemin is a 27-year-old winger who scored 30 goals and 57 points riding shotgun with Grabovski for the Maple Leafs in 2010-2011, but has failed to generate much offence siince, scoring 23 goals and 71 points in 188 games.dddddddddddd But, to be fair, Kulemin has been stuck in a defensive role for the past couple seasons, with primarily defensive zone starts against quality opposition. While Kulemin hasnt scored a bunch in the NHL, particularly recently, hes produced enough to believe that there is more offence to be uncovered. He has 11 points in 20 games for Russia at the past two World Championships and 38 points in 36 KHL games while playing alongside Evgeni Malkin, so its not like Kulemin cant find his way around the offensive zone, but he likely needs a centre that will be the creator offensively. With the expectation that Kulemin will skate with Grabovski, he too should benefit from more offensive zone starts and favourable matchups. Maybe that results in Kulemin scoring 35-to-40 points (that 57-point season in 2010-2011 sure appears to be an aberration) and if that comes with solid two-way play then, even at his lofty price, Kulemin can be a worthy acquisition for the Isles. Toronto didnt seem to be in position to pay Kulemin, and they shouldnt have, based on how he was being used. Wingers that are deployed like Kulemin dont tend to get paid. Kulemins contract also runs for four years, paying him $16.75-million, which is a lot given his recent production, but if he gets more of an offensive opportunity, Kulemin has a decent shot at producing enough offensively to justify that price, which is fair for a second-line winger. All in all, this is an aggressive move by the Islanders and suddenly gives them terrific depth up front. So much that they likely need to find room on the wing for young guns like Brock Nelson and Ryan Strome, but its an enviable problem to have so much talent that some of your centres need to find room to play on the wing. Their defence can still get better, but these signings put the Islanders into the mix among playoff contenders for next season. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Cheap Buffalo Sabres GearWholesale Calgary Flames JerseysCheap Adidas Colorado Avalanche JerseysMontreal Canadiens Outlet StoreWholesale New Jersey Devils JerseysAdidas Arizona Coyotes JerseysCheap Adidas Boston Bruins JerseysCheap Adidas Carolina Hurricanes JerseysChicago Blackhawks Shop Free ShippingWholesale Columbus Blue Jackets JerseysDallas Stars Shop Free ShippingCheap Adidas Detroit Red Wings JerseysAnaheim Ducks Jerseys ChinaWholesale Edmonton Oilers JerseysFlorida Panthers Shop Free ShippingWholesale Los Angeles Kings JerseysMinnesota Wild Outlet StoreCheap Adidas Nashville Predators JerseysCheap Adidas New York Islanders JerseysNew York Rangers Winter Classic JerseysCheap Adidas Ottawa Senators JerseysCheap Adidas Philadelphia Flyers JerseysWholesale Pittsburgh Penguins JerseysCheap Adidas San Jose Sharks JerseysSt. Louis Blues Winter Classic JerseysWholesale Tampa Bay Lightning JerseysToronto Maple Leafs Outlet StoreVancouver Canucks Outlet StoreCheap Adidas Vegas Golden Knights JerseysCheap Adidas Washington Capitals JerseysCheap Adidas Winnipeg Jets Jerseys ' ' '