Lundqvist: Hey, it happens
MONTREAL - Henrik Lundqvist took his first penalty of the season after he leaped upon Max Pacioretty in frustration, but don't expect many more. "Once in a while it will happen,'' said Lundqvist, who has two other minors. "When I feel the guy is trying to stop and they still hit me, I can deal with that. I do that all the time. In this building, it's hard to stay calm sometimes. There was a lot of stuff going on for a few minutes; they kept coming around the net. I lost it there a little bit. The energy on the ice and in the building makes you jump guys sometimes. If he was standing up, I probably wouldn't go after him, but seriously, it happens.''
Subban: I'm no Avery
Canadiens rookie P.K. Subban, derided by Brian Boyle and Brandon Dubinsky after the previous Rangers-Canadiens game last Tuesday for a butt end that broke Boyle's nose and a slewfoot on Dubinsky that wasn't called, was very active. He had an assist, five shots and two blocked shots in 23:50.
Subban defended his play and said he shouldn't be compared to another Ranger. "I'm not the next Sean Avery," he said. "I don't think I'm an agitator at all. I play honestly and I don't cheap-shot. To be honest, if I wanted to be an agitator, I would play the game that way. I'm a young guy standing up for myself and my teammates. I just play the game the way I know how. Maybe they feel that way when they play against me and they're not successful.
"It doesn't matter how I like to be characterized. As long as I'm not playing dirty, it's not a problem."
Coach John Tortorella wasn't so sure. "It's a slew foot," Tortorella said. "It's a dirty play. We're a smart enough hockey team to not worry about that. But you're talking about two dirty plays that shouldn't be in the game."
Callahan re-examined
Ryan Callahan will have his broken hand re-examined Sunday and hopes to be cleared to grip a stick when he skates. If that happens, the right wing said, a Feb. 1 return is "realistic."
Callahan, out since Dec. 15 after blocking a shot against the Penguins, skated Saturday at Bell Centre and said: "If I was to have put my hand on a stick [last week], I would have been ahead of schedule, right around the six-week mark. The All-Star break [Jan. 26-31] is a realistic date; it'll be seven weeks."
Callahan has 10 goals and 23 points in 32 games. He has missed 13 games and probably will miss six more.
"We'll know more tomorrow," he said.
Burrows not suspended
The league did not suspend Alexandre Burrows for his spear on Marc Staal. Staal, who was whistled for retaliating, said, "It's something I'm not going to forget about."
Blue notes
D Dan Girardi had an impressive game. He had two assists and six shots on goal and was a plus-2 in a game-high 27:38 . . . Marian Gaborik had three shots in 19:05 . . . The Rangers are 15-8-1 on the road . . . The Rangers were 0-for-4 on the power play and had only five shots . . . Lundqvist stopped the last 28 shots he faced . . . In his Rangers debut, Kris Newbury fought Travis Moen, had three hits and won two of five faceoffs in 7:29.
