t put them up 22-6. Arizona kept its foot on

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- A few moments after Kyle Palmieris shootout attempt hit both Montreal posts and skittered along the goal line without going in, Andrei Markovs shot left no doubt about an impressive win for the Canadiens. Markov scored in the sixth round of the shootout, Dustin Tokarski stopped 39 shots to win his Montreal debut, and the Canadiens beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 Wednesday night for their sixth victory in eight games. Brendan Gallagher had a goal and an assist for the Canadiens, tying it late in the second period. Max Pacioretty got his 30th goal and captain Brian Gionta also scored in a big victory over the overall NHL leaders before the arrival of new acquisition Thomas Vanek. "We knew we were going to play against the best team in the league, and they especially play great at home," Markov said. "So we just tried to stick to the game plan and our system and do our job. That goal we got (from Gallagher) late in the second period helped us to stay in the game. Everybody played hard, and our goalie played unbelievable. He made great saves and was really in the game." But Tokarski and the Canadiens earned that second standings point by the slimmest of margins. After a scoreless third period and overtime, Palmieri thought he had scored for Anaheim in the fifth round. The officials called it a goal on the ice, but reversed the ruling on video review. Tokarski also thought Palmieri had scored, but was grateful to see the replay. "You get some breaks once in a while, I guess," he said. Montreal got a surprising effort from fill-in starter Tokarski, who made several sharp saves while earning his second career victory in his eighth NHL appearance. Tokarski was recalled after the Olympic break to back up Peter Budaj while injured gold medallist Carey Price is out. "I dont know them very much, but theyre a heck of a team that has some All-Star players," Tokarski said of the Ducks. "I just knew I had to take it as any other game and use what I got to get here." The AHL veteran also shook off a regrettable goal when Beauchemins dump-in pass took a weird bounce and went into his open net while he waited behind it for the puck. "I made an error," Tokarski said. "I should have stayed in my net. The scouting report was that there was bad glass here, so it was a lapse of judgment there. But the guys battled and got the tying goal before the period was over." Tim Jackman, Francois Beauchemin and Daniel Winnik scored early goals for Anaheim, which had won three straight. Jonas Hiller made 27 saves in the first loss since the Olympic break for the Ducks, who lamented a slow start. "The first 10 minutes, everybody was still thinking about every trade that went on today," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. "They werent preparing the proper way ... and we had to battle to get even." Both playoff-bound teams late-season acquisitions hadnt yet joined them at Honda Center. The Ducks made no major moves on the trade deadline, but acquired injured defenceman Stephane Robidas one day earlier. Montreal made one of the deadlines biggest acquisitions by snagging Vanek, the Austrian goal-scorer. Vanek will become the Canadiens top scorer when he suits up, likely for Thursdays game in Phoenix. Montreal went up 2-0 in the first period when Pacioretty then converted a cross-ice pass from David Desharnais, but the Ducks rallied in the second period with two goals 1:59 apart. Jackman scored on a smart tip of Sbisas long shot, and Beauchemin tied it with that fluke power-play goal into Tokarskis vacated net. "It was about time it happened to somebody else," Hiller said with a laugh. "I always get those bounces. ... We should definitely improve the power play if thats the only way we can score goals." Anaheim went ahead on Winniks midair swat of Matt Beleskeys shot for just his third goal of a hardworking season, but Gallagher evened it when the Ducks couldnt clear a loose puck in front of Hiller. Late in the first period, the Honda Center paid tribute to Montreal forward George Parros with a video tribute and a standing ovation for the longtime Anaheim enforcer. The mustachioed brawler with an economics degree from Princeton and a clothing company in nearby Costa Mesa played six seasons for the Ducks before leaving as a free agent in 2012. Parros, still the Anaheim franchise leader with 812 penalty minutes, acknowledged the cheers by waving and pounding his chest above his heart. NOTES: Anaheim hadnt been in a shootout since Dec. 6 or played an overtime game since Jan. 5. ... Teemu Selanne was a last-minute scratch with the flu for Anaheim. With Dustin Penner (trade) and Mathieu Perreault (upper-body injury) also out, defenceman Luca Sbisa played nine shifts at left wing. ... Montreal acquired G Devan Dubnyk earlier Wednesday. Pat LaFontaine Jersey . Not that he was complaining. Davis had 13 points, nine rebounds and a career-high eight blocks, and the New Orleans Pelicans emphatically snapped a three-game skid with a 135-98 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. Tom Kuhnhackl Jersey . Marie rink got back in the win column at the Olympic mens curling tournament with a 7-4 win over the host Russian squad on Wednesday. http://www.authenticnyislanderspro.com/. Kadri was dressed in a green jersey at Thursdays practice and skated as an extra forward on the teams fourth line as the Leafs. Nick Leddy Jersey . -- D. J. Williams finally has his packing strategy down. Mike Bossy Jersey . Ending a nine-game losing streak? That gave the Milwaukee Bucks veteran forward a reason to smile. LAS VEGAS -- T.J. McConnell laid out like a baserunner diving headfirst into a base. He missed the ball, but, after landing with a thud, jumped up and raced the other direction. Aaron Gordon, who did get the steal because of McConnells effort, flipped the ball ahead and Arizonas point guard ran under it, scoring an easy basket in transition. The play, and countless others like it in a spirit-crushing rout over Utah, let the rest of the Pac-12 field -- and the country -- know that one of the nations best defensive is in high gear for the post-season. Playing with a feverish intensity from the opening tip, Arizona raced through the record book and overwhelmed the stunned Utes in a 71-39 rout on Thursday to match the most lopsided game in Pac-12 tournament history. "We were locked in," Arizona coach Sean Miller said. "Everything that we wanted to do defensively, we were able to do it." Nick Johnson scored 14 points, McConnell 13 and Gordon added 11 for Arizona, which shot 53 per cent. That was just a side note to what the Wildcats were doing defensively. After playing two close games against Utah during the regular season, top-seeded Arizona (29-3) opened the tournament with a have-to-see-it-to-believe-it defensive performance. Energized by a raucous crowd that made it feel like the McKale Center, the Wildcats were at their lane-jumping, shot-contesting best against the Utes (21-11) to move into Fridays semifinals against Colorado or California. Arizona jumped on Utah early and had stamped its name in the record books by then, setting marks for fewest points allowed, fewest field goals (12) and lowest shooting percentage (25). The Wildcats held the Utes to 13 points in the first half, another record, and matched UCLAs 32-point win over Oregon State in 2006 to move into Fridays semifinals against Colorado or California. Jordan Loveridge and Delon Wright, Utahhs leading scorers, combined for seven points on 1-of-4 shooting and Utah lost by 13 fewer points than its 10 previous losses combined.dddddddddddd "When we get stops and get rebounds and get the push, our athleticism is really at play," Johnson said. "I think finishing with dunks and around the basket gets everybody going. Arizona had hoped to make a statement in the Pac-12 tournament to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Pac-12 regular-season champion Wildcats certainly did in their tournament opener, playing with an intensity Utah had no chance of matching after playing a close game against Washington the night before. The crowd at MGM Grand Garden Arena started chants of "U of A! U of A!" long before the opening tip and the Wildcats turned the game into a rout not long after the ball went up. Racing out for dunks and 3-pointers in transition set up by their climb-in-your-jersey defence, the Wildcats stormed past the Utes with an 18-2 run that put them up 22-6. Arizona kept its foot on the Utes behind its defence, contesting every shot, pass and dribble. The Wildcats held Utah to 5-of-19 shooting while forcing eight turnovers in the first half. Loveridge and Wright, who combine for over 31 points per game, took four shots and had no points between them. "They were really putting on a defensive clinic in the first half," Utah centre Dallin Bachynski said. Second half, more of the same. Utah missed its first 11 shots -- its first field goal came 9:15 in -- and at one point had five players on the court who had yet to score in the game. Yep, it was that bad. The only thing in doubt at that point was whether the Utes would get to 30 points. They got there with 4:17 left, but, boy, was it ugly. "They took pride in guarding us," Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak said. "They took the life out of us." ' ' '