Thomas Vanek broke out of his scoring slump with the Montreal Canadiens in a big way. Ray Bourque Bruins Jersey . The Habs hope their recently-acquired winger can stay hot on Thursday night in a home matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Catch the action on TSN Habs starting at 7:30pm et/ 4:30pm pt. The Canadiens acquired Vanek from the New York Islanders prior to the trade deadline in an effort to upgrade their offense for a playoff push. However, Vanek failed to score a goal in his first five games with Montreal, held to just a single assist. The two-time 40-goal scorer finally broke out in Tuesdays big 6-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche, netting a hat trick to spoil Patrick Roys return to Montreal. Roy made his first appearance in Montreal as head coach of the Colorado Avalanche and received a warm reception early in the game before Vanek stole the show. "It was unbelievable," Vanek said of his three-goal night. "This place is electric." Brandon Prust had a goal and an assist for the Canadiens, who have won three in a row. Travis Moen and Dale Weise also lit the lamp, while Carey Price made 25 saves. Prust will sit out tonights contest with an upper-body injury after skating for only 10 minutes at Thursdays morning skate. Ryan White draws into the lineup in his place. Montreals current win streak has it tied for second place with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic Division with 83 points. That is three ahead of the fourth-place Toronto Maple Leafs. Columbus is also pushing for a playoff bid as it sits two points behind the New York Rangers for third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Blue Jackets are also even with the Washington Capitals with 76 points, but have two games in hand to hold the current tiebreaker for the second wild card position in the Eastern Conference. The Blue Jackets were riding a seven-game point streak going into Tuesdays home matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes and fell in defeat 3-1. Columbus was nearly shut out before Boone Jenner lit the lamp with 50 seconds to go, deflecting Ryan Johansens shot past Carolina goaltender Anton Khudobin. Still, the Blue Jackets fell to 6-1-1 in their last eight games. Sergei Bobrovsky gave up three goals on 20 shots through two periods, while Curtis McElhinney did not face a shot in the third period during his relief appearance. Columbus outshot Carolina 19-0 in the third period. "We attempted 79 (shots) -- 47 were on net," said Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards. "It seemed like we had some quality chances. We hit a couple posts. We had our opportunities." The Blue Jackets activated forward Jared Boll from injured reserve on Wednesday. He had missed the past 45 games due to a torn ankle tendon suffered in late November. The 27-year-old scored one goal and racked up 38 penalty minutes in 21 games before suffering the injury. The Blue Jackets have lost both of their previous meetings with the Canadiens this season, including a 5-3 loss in Montreal on Oct. 17. Jaromir Jagr Bruins Jersey . - A late-game interception by defensive back Malcolm Butler saved the Super Bowl for the New England Patriots. Zdeno Chara Bruins Jersey . Brooks replaces right-hander Yordano Ventura, who left his last outing with a sore elbow. Ventura is expected to miss one start. Brooks has made one relief appearance for the Royals this season, allowing six runs in two innings in a May 3 loss to Detroit. http://www.thebostonbruinshockey.com/david-krejci-hockey-jersey/ . It all would have been for naught, however, had it not been for some clutch shooting in the fourth quarter by Kobe Bryant and a couple of equally critical hustle plays by Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol in the final minutes.ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - His return from off-season knee surgery still a few days away, Knowshon Moreno sauntered over to the sideline one hot August afternoon in training camp. In front of him were two young running backs having trouble picking up first downs and blitzes. Asked who he thought would win the featured role in the Denver Broncos backfield, Moreno nodded and flashed a sneaky smile, then spun back to the trainers room. Enough said. Neither Ronnie Hillman nor Montee Ball would pry the football from his grasp, something nobodys been able to do since Atlanta linebacker Stephen Nicholas stripped him on Sept. 17, 2012, which resulted in Morenos two-month banishment to the scout team. That penance left Moreno determined "if I ever do get that call again" to let neither the opportunity nor the football slip through his grasp again. Willis McGahees injury gave Moreno that shot at redemption, and hes lived up to that pledge ever since: in 479 touches since that fateful fumble against the Falcons, Moreno has gotten up with the football in his hands all 479 times. "He plays this game in a way that I absolutely love because its every bit of who he is, and he gives you every bit of what he has," Broncos running backs coach Eric Studesville said. "Hes so amped up and hyped up before the game because hes so excited for it and then he plays with that intensity and that energy and that effort." Moreno holds nothing back, not even his tears, which were captured by TV cameras during the National Anthem when the Broncos visited Kansas City last month. Moreno said in those moments before kickoff, he reflects on all the good and the bad things that have happened in his life and in football and how much he appreciates the opportunity to play the game. Thats when the tears flow. "Ive always been that way, high school and in college," Moreno said. "I guess its just my thing, you know? I play with my emotions on my sleeve." Moreno has had his share of ups and downs in the NFL. After replacing McGahee in 2012, he ran for 510 yards and three TDs in the final six games but blew out a knee early in Denvers playoff game against Baltimore. Without him, the Broncos were unable to run out the clock in the fourth quarter behind an undersized Hiillman, which led to their loss to the Ravens in double-overtime. Tuukka Rask Jersey. That prompted the Broncos to draft Ball, the bruising 215-pound Badger who scored an NCAA-record 83 touchdowns at Wisconsin, and Hillman bulked up to 195 pounds in the off-season. While Moreno continued his rehab from his knee injury, Ball and Hillman battled for the No. 1 job but both made too many mistakes to earn the trust of the coaches or Peyton Manning. And while all eyes were on them, Moreno — the Broncos biggest back at 220 pounds — quietly got healthy and brought fresh legs and experience to the equation. This season he became the first running back in team history to top 1,000 yards rushing and 500 receiving, and he scored a career-high 13 TDs. Morenos proficiency at catching the ball out of the backfield proved the best antidote for all the beatings Manning was taking at midseason, when opponents quit defending Denvers record-setting offence with zones in favour of more man coverage, which freed up another pass-rusher to go after the quarterback. Moreno is not only the Broncos best running back at picking up the blitz, but his sure hands keep linebackers busy in coverage or freeze them on play-action, which makes the Broncos, who scored an NFL-record 606 points, all the more dangerous. "He has just been a rock for us back there," said Manning, who praised Morenos uncanny ability to navigate through traffic while also challenging tacklers head on. Moreno has been a pleasant surprise to Manning, who knew what he had in targets Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Wes Welker and Julius Thomas but spent the off-season wondering what he would have with him in the backfield. "You never know coming off an injury, especially that running back position," Manning said. "Hes been a huge part of our offence this year." Morenos biggest game came at New England in November, when he rushed for 244 yards on 37 carries in a game the Broncos lost 34-31 in overtime. The rematch is Sunday when the Broncos (14-3) host the Patriots (13-4) in the AFC championship with the winner heading for the Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium, about an hours drive from Middletown, N.J., where Moreno grew up. Its one more opportunity hes determined not to let slip away. ' ' '