"Alex Burrows has been on his best behaviour this NHL season.

The known agitator and yapper has toned down his game and zipped his lip for the most part.

Then came Thursday in Madison Square Garden where the Vancouver Canucks winger reminded Marc Staal that there's still an edge to his game. And maybe a dangerous one because it may warrant closer future scrutiny by referees.

While battling for position in front of the New York Rangers net during the second period of a 1-0 loss, Burrows speared the defenceman between the legs. Staal fell, took a whack at Burrows and got a tripping minor.

He was mad. John Tortorella was incensed.

"It's ridiculous, it's dangerous," said the Rangers coach. "If I'm Marc Staal, I'd retaliate, too. I'd break his ankle on something like that."

Burrows wasn't taking the bait Friday. He chose to fess up, rather than give a retort to Torts.

"I heard about it, but that's OK," said Burrows, who has just 20 penalty minutes this season. "I thought we had good battles all night in front of the net and those things are going to happen. For sure, I'm aware of that [spear], but sometimes in the middle of a battle, you might do things you regret. But those are things I don't do on a regular basis.

"Obviously, I did it and hopefully it won't happen again.""