MONTREAL -- A lot of fingers were pointed lately at Max Pacioretty and his centre David Desharnais over the Montreal Canadiens weak goal production. That was put to rest, at least for now, on Tuesday night when Pacioretty got a natural hat trick in the second period and the Canadiens skated to a 6-2 NHL victory over the Minnesota Wild. Pacioretty picked up his first goals in 10 games since Oct. 12 in Vancouver, although he missed eight games with a leg injury during that stretch. "Theres a lot of things probably being said about me out there -- thats how it is in this business when youre not performing," said Pacioretty, who among other slights, had been criticized for being a "perimeter" player of late. "Everyone goes through it, but it felt good tonight. "You can look at stats all you want but I missed a lot of good opportunities lately. One game I had eight shots. It started getting into my head, thinking that I cant score, so its definitely a monkey off the back. The first one was lucky, off a skate and in, but you take them as they come." Desharnais got two assists, giving him three points in 20 games this season. Only last week, newly elected Montreal mayor Denis Coderre caused a stir when he suggested Desharnais be sent to the minors. He was scratched one game, but bounced back with better efforts of late. When he is on his game, the stocky centre is a clever passer and playmaker, although he only seems ever to click with Pacioretty. Part of the breakthrough came when coach Michel Therrien put tenacious right winger Brendan Gallagher on their unit. That threesome was Montreals best line in the second half of last season. And Pacioretty went hard to the front of the net for two of his goals. "Davy and I, our chemistry is at a level where he knows where Im going and he can throw blind passes, and thats what happened, said Pacioretty. "Gally gets everyone going. "Hes an energetic player. With him getting into the forecheck and disrupting the defence a little, all it takes is a split second. Hes a hound on the puck and he got us going." Michael Bournival, Daniel Briere and Alex Galchenyuk also scored for the Canadiens (11-9-2), who had tallied only 18 goals in their previous 11 games. Nino Niederreiter and Dany Heatley scored for the Wild (13-5-4), which ended a four-game winning streak and an eight-game undefeated run dating to a 5-1 loss to Chicago on Oct. 28. Minnesota looked nothing like the air-tight defensive club that was piling up wins in recent weeks. Once Paciorettys first goal went in, they put up little fight. Top defenceman Ryan Suter ended the night minus-3, while his partner Jonas Brodin was minus-4. Coach Mike Yeo wants to see the team push back Wednesday night in Ottawa. "Its all a matter how you take this one in," said Yeo. "If we just sit here and say weve been on a nice run and this was bound to happen, then I dont think we should expect much difference from tonight. "If this stings like it should, it should he motivating for us to win that game." Wild starter Josh Harding, one of the NHLs three stars for his three wins last week, was pulled in the second period after allowing three goals on 19 shots in favour of third-stringer Darcy Kuemper, who looked shaky in allowing three goals on nine shots. Yeo said pulling Harding was partly to keep him fresh to play in Ottawa. Harding has given up three only twice this season, both times to Montreal. At 2:57 of the second period, Paciorettys slump ended when he had a Desharnais pass go in off his skate from in front of the net. The Canadiens, coming off a 1-0 loss at home to the New York Rangers on Saturday night, had not scored since a Lars Eller goal at 7:34 of the second period of a 3-2 shootout win last Friday in Columbus. Pacioretty converted a spin-around pass from Desharnais at 10:06 at even strength and then ended Hardings night when he tipped in P.K. Subbans point shot on a power play at 13:36. Bournival came from behind the net and beat Kuemper inside the near post at 16:16. Briere one-timed Brian Giontas cross-ice pass behind Kuemper on a counter attack 4:42 into the third. Niederreiter spoiled Carey Prices shutout less than a minute later when he went to the net to bang in his own rebound after a feed from behind the net from Kyle Brodziak. Galchenyuk converted an Andrei Markov feed on a power play at 7:35. Then Heatley, a shadow of his former self this season, jammed in a goal on a power play with 1.3 seconds left in the game for only his third goal in 22 games. In his heyday as a 50-goal and 100-point man with the Ottawa Senators, Heatley -- along with Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson -- terrorized the Canadiens. In 43 career games against Montreal, he has 25 goals and 52 points. Notes: Six goals was a season high scored for Montreal and allowed by Minnesota. . . Pacioretty got his second career hat trick (last: Feb. 9, 2012). . . Winger Rene Bourque (lower body) sat out and Ryan White returned to the Montreal lineup. . . Douglas Murray and George Parros were scratched. . . Minnesota sat out defenceman Matt Dumba. . .The Wild started a four-game road trip that takes them to Ottawa and then onto Winnipeg on Saturday and St. Louis on Monday. Wholesale Nike Shox .com) - Sergio Agueros 63rd-minute goal was enough to lift Manchester City to a 1-0 win over 10-man Manchester United on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium. Nike Shox Cheap Mens . Wall made the comment in a speech to a Regina business crowd that included Lesnar. The U.S. wrestler and retired mixed martial artist says he was visiting his brothers farm in Saskatchewan and decided he wanted to hear what the premier had to say. http://www.cheapnikeshox.net/. Hazard lasted just 18 minutes in Tuesdays contest before being substituted with the calf problem, and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes he will be without his star winger for at least the next two weeks. Cheap Nike Shox Fre Shipping .m. ET, CBSOPENING LINE — Packers by 3RECORD VS. SPREAD — New England 7-4, Green Bay 5-5-1SERIES RECORD — Tied 5-5. Cheap Nike Shox . - Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard has signed with WME-IMG, saying the sports management powerhouse will help maximize the value of my brand.Miami Gardens, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - A top-10 matchup takes place in the 2014 Orange Bowl, as No. 8 Mississippi State battles No. 10 Georgia Tech at Sun Life Stadium on New Years Eve. Mississippi State had spent a large portion of the season as the No. 1 team in the land, as the Bulldogs sprinted out to a 9-0 start. A tough 25-20 loss to eventual SEC champion Alabama was the teams first defeat, and it also dropped a 31-17 decision to bitter rival Ole Miss in the regular-season finale. As a result, MSU finished with a record of 10-2 overall, 6-2 in conference, finishing second in the SEC West. The Bulldogs own a 10-7 record in bowl games, and this is their third straight bowl appearance, but only their sixth since 2000. Last year, Mississippi State routed Rice in the Liberty Bowl, 44-7, giving the team wins in six of its last seven bowls. MSU has appeared in the Orange Bowl twice previously, splitting bouts back in 1937 and 1941. Georgia Tech went 10-3 this season, which included a 6-2 record against Atlantic Coast Conference foes. The teams league ledger earned it the Coastal Division title, and with it a date against Florida State in the ACC Championship Game. The Seminoles narrowly won, 37-35, ending the Yellow Jackets five-game win streak. Still, it was a highly successful campaign for ACC Coach of the Year Paul Johnson and his team, which is making its 43rd bowl appearance. The Yellow Jackets are 23-19 all-time in bowl games, and this is their seventh trip to the Orange Bowl. Their last appearance in this particular event was in 2010, when it fell to Iowa in a 24-14 final. Overall, Georgia Tech is appearing in its sixth straight postseason tussle, but will be seeking only its second win in the last 10 bowl games. Last season, the Yellow Jackets lost to Ole Miss in the Music City Bowl, 25-17. The Orange Bowl came into existence back in 1935, with Bucknell blanking Miami-Florida, 26-0, and the most recent installment saw Clemson outlast Ohio State in a 40-35 final. Balance was the key to Mississippi States success on offense this season, as the team averaged 239.8 ypg rushing and 266.3 ypg through the air. As a result, the Bulldogs put up 37.2 ppg to rank second in the SEC, and they got impressive individual efforts from guys like RB Josh Robinson (177 carries, 1,128 yards, 11 TDs) and QB Dak Prescott (195 carries, 939 yards, 13 TDs; .612 completion percentage, 2,996 yards, 24 TDs, 10 INTs). Prescott spread the wealth this season, as nine different players logged double-digit catches, led by DeRunnya Wilson (38 rec., 575 yards, seven TDs). The teams defensive effort was on point for the most part, particularly with regard to stopping the run (126.5 ypg) and keeping foes off the scoreboard (19.4 ppg). Swarming to the ball was MSUs strength, as no player had more than Bernadrick McKinneys 61 taackles.dddddddddddd. Included in that total were eight TFL and three sacks for McKinney, who slotted in with a group of players with multiple sacks, right behind team leader Preston Smith, who tallied 14.5 TFL and the fourth-most sacks of any player in the conference with nine. Overall, the Bulldogs ranked second in the SEC with 36 sacks, and they recorded 15 INTs, three each being credited to Will Redmond and Richie Brown. The task at hand is to get 11 wins and go out with a win in Miami, but at the same time it is my last bowl game and we want to have a little fun while were down here, said MSU offensive lineman Ben Beckwith. You always have the game in the back of your mind with everything you do and every time you do something you think about beating Georgia Tech, but well have fun with it. Beating Georgia Tech isnt going to be easy, as the Yellow Jackets hammer the ball at you from the outset, and they dont give up until youre battered the bruised. They finished the regular season as the No. 2 rushing team in the country, churning out 333.6 ypg and scoring 41 TDs, and they led the ACC in scoring at 37.0 ppg. Tech yielded only 10 sacks, while converting 57 percent of its third-down opportunities and controlling the clock for more than 34 minutes per outing. The team doesnt have a 1,000-yard rusher, although QB Justin Thomas came close in amassing 965 yards, and no player had double-digit TDs, again Zach Laskey tallying nine scores as part of his 788-yard effort. Synjyn Days also got in on the act with 753 yards and six TDs. Thomas added nearly 1,600 yards, 17 TDs and only five INTs when the Yellow Jackets decided to put the ball in the air. DeAndre Smelter led the receiving corps with 35 grabs for 715 yards and seven scores, while Darren Waller finished with five TD catches. Georgia Techs effort on defense wasnt quite up to par with that of the offense this season, but the unit still did not enough to help the team record 10 victories and win a division title. Opponents put up 25.1 ppg, doing so behind typical outputs of 168.8 ypg on the ground and 227.6 ypg via the pass. The teams total defensive allowance of 396.4 ypg ranked it 12th in the 14- team conference. P.J. Davis spearheaded the Yellow Jackets defensive effort with 108 total tackles, 75 of which were solo efforts, while Quayshawn Nealy logged 90 stops. Tech only posted 18 sacks and 57 TFL, but goaded the opposition into 27 turnovers, 17 of which were interceptions. D.J. White and Jamal Golden had four picks apiece. (This is) very exciting, said Thomas. We set our goals and reached them. We did big things this year. Now it is time to finish the job. We just need to come out the same way we did the last game. We need to come out with high intensity. We need to start fast. And we need to keep the offense moving forward. ' ' '