Rene Bourque posted the first postseason hat trick of his career on Tuesday (US time) as Montreal stayed alive in the NHL playoffs with a 7-4 win over the New York Rangers.

The Canadiens fended off elimination in the Eastern Conference finals, closing the gap in the best-of-seven series to three games to two.

The Rangers will get another chance to book their Stanley Cup finals berth when they host game six on Thursday.

The winners of the series will face either reigning champions the Chicago Blackhawks or the Los Angeles Kings for the NHL crown.