The scene that unfolded Thursday in Montreal was all too familiar for Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty.

He, along with everyone else in a silent Bell Centre, watched as defenseman P.K. Subban was carried off the ice on a stretcher with an apparent neck injury. The incident came almost five years to the day when Pacioretty himself suffered a fractured vertebrae after being leveled into a stanchion by Zdeno Chara.

Pacioretty was therefore understandably shaken after witnessing something similar unfold.

"I've been in that position before and it brings back a lot of tough memories, so it was really hard for me to watch," he told reporters after the game.

"It was tough to play after that," Pacioretty admitted. "It was impossible to concentrate after that, maybe me more so than a lot of the other guys. Now I know how guys felt when that happened to me, and all we can be now is supportive and hope for the best."

The latest update on Subban is that he was taken to hospital for further testing and has normal movement in his extremities.

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Tuukka Rask wasn't exactly thrilled with how he spent his 29th birthday.

The Boston Bruins goaltender watched as his team fell apart defensively in overtime Thursday against Carolina, allowing Phillip Di Giuseppe to score the game-winning goal.

While the NHL's new overtime format may be effective in deciding games prior to the shootout, Rask certainly isn't a fan.

"I mean, I’ve had it with these three-on-three overtimes," Rask said after the loss, according to Darren Hartwell of NESN. "It’s just scoring chance after scoring chance. But, you just try to win the games, right? I was hoping (the Bruins) would score a quick goal like last game (10 seconds into overtime against Tampa Bay), but it didn’t happen.

"It’s usually just wide-open shots, breakaways or two-on-ones," he added. "And there are no wide-angle shots or point shots. It’s just scoring chances."

While all of the above makes for a more entertaining viewing experience for fans, it's not hard to see how the experience may be less than optimal for goalies.

Luckily for Rask, the Bruins moved into first place in the Atlantic Division by picking up a single point, and appear well on their way to securing a playoff spot, where overtime is played five-on-five.

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Whether it's because of his hands or because of his speed, it is not easy to contain Connor McDavid.

Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon learned that Thursday as the Edmonton Oilers phenom cruised by him en route to his 14th goal of the season and eventual game-winner.

The goal ended McDavid's two-game pointless skid. The 19-year-old still hasn't gone more than two games without a point all season.

He sits just two points behind Arizona Coyotes forward Anthony Duclair and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who are fifth and sixth in rookie scoring, despite missing 37 games with a broken clavicle.

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Alex Galchenyuk will not be denied.

The 22-year-old notched his third straight two-goal game Thursday, leading the Montreal Canadiens to a 3-2 victory over the division-rival Buffalo Sabres.

His pair of second-period tallies also propelled him past captain Max Pacioretty for the team lead with 25 goals. He has now found the back of the net 11 times in his last eight games, adding one assist during that stretch.

Galchenyuk has had six multi-goal games since Feb. 12, and is the first Canadien since Brian Savage in 1995 to post multi-goal games in three consecutive contests, and the first Canadien since Jean Beliveau in 1959 with five multi-goal games in an eight-game span.

Torrey Mitchell scored what would hold up to be the game-winner with less than seven minutes remaining in regulation.

There was a scary site in the final minutes, meanwhile, as defenseman P.K. Subban had to be stretchered off the ice after colliding with teammate Alexei Emelin.

The victory stretches the club's winning streak to two games, after the Canadiens endured a four-game skid to start the month.

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