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Tomas Plekanec scored the game-winner in the third and Jaroslav Halak made 44 saves as Montreal finished Vancouver’s seven-game winning streak with a 3-2 victory on Tuesday night.

Sergei Kostitsyn and Maxim Lapierre scored in the first period for the Canadiens (26-25-6), who finished a three-game winless run.

Mikael Samuelsson and Ryan Kesler each scored a power-play goal for the Canucks (34-19-2).

Vancouver had scored only once on its previous 18 chances.

Halak stopped NHL scoring leader Henrik Sedin on two close-in chances in the opening minute, then did it again early in the second period as Sedin was held off the scoresheet for the second time in his last three games.

Roberto Luongo, playing his first game since he was yanked after the first period of a 5-3 comeback win in Toronto on Saturday, could not be blamed for the two goals he surrendered on nine shots in the opening period.

A turnover by the Canucks defence gave Kostitsyn room to slip around Kesler, go into the slot and score only his second goal of the season at 5:56. It was Montreal’s first even-strength goal in four games, ending a drought of 223 minutes 12 seconds.

Samuelsson’s point shot on a power play handcuffed Halak and dropped into the net to tie it at 8:24, but Lapierre was in front to bang in a pass across the crease at 18:04 for a rare goal from Montreal’s fourth line.

The Canadiens had the sellout crowd of 21,273 rocking with some long stretches of pressure in the Vancouver zone in the second frame, but couldn’t add to their lead, although Kostitsyn went around Brad Lukowich and had Luongo down in the final minute only to shoot over the net.

The teams were each small a man when Plekanec had two whacks at a puck in the crease before he flipped it over Luongo 9:14 into the third.

The gritty Kesler was in his usual spot in front of the crease to bat a puck out of the air that went off defenceman Roman Hamrlik’s body to close the gap to one goal with 5:50 left to play.

The Canucks beat Montreal 7-1 on Oct. 7 in Vancouver.

Toronto’s Chris Bosh drives between Indiana’s Roy Hibbert and Mike Dunleavy on Tuesday. (Ron Hoskins/NBAE/Getty Images)

Danny Granger scored 23 points and the Indiana Pacers snapped the Toronto Raptors’ five-game winning streak with a 130-115 victory on Tuesday night.

Troy Murphy had 20 points and 14 rebounds for Indiana, which finished a three-game skid. Roy Hibbert had 18 points and nine boards and Earl Watson added 15 points and a season-high 11 assists.

Lester Conner coached the Pacers in place of Jim O’Brien, who attended a family funeral.

Chris Bosh had 35 points and 15 rebounds, and Andrea Bargnani scored a career-high 34 points for the visiting Raptors.

It was a season scoring high for the Pacers, who had scored fewer than 100 points in six of their previous nine games.

Indiana made 33 of 35 free throws and shot 52 per cent from the field.

The roster makeover for the Toronto Maple Leafs had an immediate impact on Tuesday evening.

Newcomers Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Fredrik Sjostrom and Dion Phaneuf each made a strong first impression in their debut performances for the Leafs, who managed to snap a six-game losing streak with a 3-0 victory against the New Jersey Devils at the Air Canada Centre.

With the addition of the three players, bought in separate deals with the Calgary Flames and Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, there certainly was a buzz in the building that hasn’t been felt for some time as another listless season has developed for the Leafs.

The crowd of 19,326 was appreciative that the Leafs’ league-worst penalty killing was better. They also liked the fact that Toronto didn’t blow a three-goal lead like it did last Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks, and that Giguere immediately improved the NHL’s highest goals-against average (3.48) with his 30-save shutout.

Giguere, still sporting his Ducks mask, wasn’t overworked and that was a excellent development because he will need time to shake off the rust. He’s a Stanley Cup-winning netminder that played more than 55 games for five straight seasons until last year when Jonas Hiller shared the workload with him in Anaheim.

This season, the 32-year-ancient Giguere only has made 20 appearances. But if he can quickly find his form under his former tutor Francois Allaire, all of a sudden the Leafs will have their best goaltender since the days of Ed Belfour — the only other to post a shutout in his Leafs debut eight years ago.

Giguere was in position all game and got some help from his goalpost when Devils centre Travis Zajac clanked a shot off the iron late in the second period. It was the Leafs fourth shutout of the season.

Sjostrom, a 26-year-ancient Swede who chipped in an help on his second shift, will no doubt help the Leafs’ hapless penalty killing. He was paired with linemate Rickard Wallin as the lead forward duo on penalty kills and they got results. The Devils went 0-for-2 in man-advantage situations.

Phaneuf a physical force

Phaneuf was a physical force in his first Leafs appearance. This was a welcome sight for Toronto coach Ron Wilson. He and general manager Brian Burke boasted all summer and in training camp that the Leafs would be much more hard to play against this season. That proved to be a bunch of baloney, at least until Phaneuf’s arrival Monday night.

He rocked New Jersey forward Rob Niedermayer along the boards early in the game then took a run at sniper Zach Parise a few shifts later in the New Jersey end. That prompted Devils defenceman Colin White to step in. He and Phaneuf tussled and the new Leafs blue liner, who was paired with Francois Beauchemin, immediately won over his new teammates and fans with his ruggedness.

But before the Toronto supporters start to plot the parade route, it should be pointed out that the Devils are a struggling team right now. They have won only three of their past 10 games and backup goalie Yann Danis was in goal to give 37-year-ancient workhorse Martin Brodeur a rest.

The Leafs loved a 1-0 lead after first period and improved that advantage by two in the second. Toronto’s Nikolai Kulemin popped in Sjostrom’s rebound for a 1-0 lead. Phil Kessel scored his 18th of the season and third in his past two games when he trailed on the play early in the second period. Beauchemin blasted in his point shot on the power play with less than six minutes remaining in the second period.