The skinny: Carey Price made 29 saves for his first shutout of the season, while Lars Eller, Alex Galchenyuk and Tomas Plekanec scored the goals to give the Canadiens a 3-0 victory over the Winnipeg Jets Tuesday night at the Bell Centre.
The shutout extended the Canadiens’ winning streak to three games and improved their overall record to 11-4-1. They are second in the Eastern Conference with 23 points.
Taking charge: The Canadiens scored the first goal for only the fifth time in 16 games when Eller beat Ondrej Pavalec at 2:21 of the second period. Jiri Sekac went wide on the right wing and cut in on the goaltender. Pavelec poke-checked the puck, but it came out to Eller who scored his fourth goal of the season. Galchenyuk added an insurance goal at 7:47 of the third period. Tom Gilbert got the puck to the net with a shot from the point and Brendan Gallagher had a swipe at the puck before Galchenyuk buried it for his fifth goal of the season.
Them’s the breaks: The Canadiens outshot Winnipeg 10-8 in the first period, but the Jets tested Price with three breakaways. He stopped Dustin Byfuglien, who broke in after blocking a shot by Nathan Beaulieu. Evander Kane took off on a 2-on-0 break following a giveaway by Andrei Markov and Mark Scheifele picked up a blind drop pass by P.K. Subban during a Canadiens power play. Luck was on Price’s side when Scheifele’s shot hit a post. The Canadiens thought they had a goal in the first minute when Gallagher beat Pavelec, but he was ruled offside on the play.Montreal has gone eight games without scoring in the first period.
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![Canadiens goalie Carey Price, right, scrambles to get out of the way as defenseman P.K. Subban and Jets left wing T.J. Galiardi round the net during action at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014.]()
Canadiens goalie Carey Price, right, scrambles to get out of the way as defenseman P.K. Subban and Jets left wing T.J. Galiardi round the net during action at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014.
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![Canadiens right wing Brendan Gallagher gets squeezed between Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec and defenseman Zach Bogosian during action at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014.]()
Canadiens right wing Brendan Gallagher gets squeezed between Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec and defenseman Zach Bogosian during action at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014.
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![Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec gets stuck in the net after taking a hit from Canadiens' Alex Galchenyuk during second period action at the Bell Centre Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014 .]()
Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec gets stuck in the net after taking a hit from Canadiens' Alex Galchenyuk during second period action at the Bell Centre Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014 .
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![Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec stops Alex Galchenyuk as defenseman Zach Bogosian moves in during action at the Bell Cenhtre on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014.]()
Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec stops Alex Galchenyuk as defenseman Zach Bogosian moves in during action at the Bell Cenhtre on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014.
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![Habs goalie Carey Price searches for a loose puck during action against the Jets at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014.]()
Habs goalie Carey Price searches for a loose puck during action against the Jets at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014.
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![Lars Eller scores on Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec as left wing Adam Lowry, top, and centre Mathieu Perreault look on during at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014.]()
Lars Eller scores on Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec as left wing Adam Lowry, top, and centre Mathieu Perreault look on during at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014.
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![Habs centre Tomas Plekanec and Jets centre Mark Scheifele wait for a puck drop during action at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Nov, 11, 2014. Poppies adorned the helmets to mark Remembrance Day.]()
Habs centre Tomas Plekanec and Jets centre Mark Scheifele wait for a puck drop during action at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Nov, 11, 2014. Poppies adorned the helmets to mark Remembrance Day.
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![Andrew Ladd of the Jets body checks P.K. Subban during action at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014.]()
Andrew Ladd of the Jets body checks P.K. Subban during action at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014.
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![Canadiens centre Alex Galchenyuk breaks his stick as he shoots on net as Jets defenseman Tobias Enstrom and goalie Ondrej Pavelec look on during action at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014.]()
Canadiens centre Alex Galchenyuk breaks his stick as he shoots on net as Jets defenseman Tobias Enstrom and goalie Ondrej Pavelec look on during action at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014.
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![Jiri Sekac celebrates the second-period goal by tLars Eller (not pictured) at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014..]()
Jiri Sekac celebrates the second-period goal by tLars Eller (not pictured) at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014..
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![Carey Price deflects a shot by Mark Scheifele at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014.]()
Carey Price deflects a shot by Mark Scheifele at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014.
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![Carey Price turns his head as he makes a glove save during at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Nov, 11, 2014.]()
Carey Price turns his head as he makes a glove save during at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, Nov, 11, 2014.
Gallery: Habs vs. Jets, Nov. 11, 2014
The Winnipeg Jets were in town on Tuesday, Nov. 11. Here are some images from the game, which the Canadiens won 3-0.
Nothing special: Montreal and Winnipeg have two of the worst power plays in the NHL and they lived down to their reputations. The Canadiens came up empty on three opportunities, while the Jets also went 0-for-3. They had a 6-on-4 advantage after pulling Pavelec with 1:28 and they hit a post, while Kane missed a wide-open net. Plekanec sealed the win with an empty-net, shorthanded goal. The Canadiens could be getting some veteran help for the power play with the addition of 40-year-old defenceman Sergei Gonchar. Ne was acquired from the Dallas Stars Tuesday in a trade for forward Travis Moen. Gonchar will arrive in Montreal Wednesday night and should be available to play Thursday.
What’s next: The Canadiens’ homestand continues Thursday when the Boston Bruins visit the Bell Centre (7:30 p.m., Sportsnet 360, RDS, TSN-690 Radio). Montreal has back-to-back games on the weekend with a home game against Philadelphia on Saturday followed by a trip to Detroit on Sunday.
