Music: {allcanada} Galchenyuk's hat trick lifts Canadiens past Hurricanes

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

{allcanada} Galchenyuk's hat trick lifts Canadiens past Hurricanes

Elvis' Christmas Album - Elvis Presley

MONTREAL -- Forward Alex Galchenyuk had a hat trick, and Carey Price made 25 saves to lead the Montreal Canadiens to a 4-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes at Bell Center on Tuesday.

Galchenyuk gave Montreal a 2-0 lead in the second period, and scored his second of the game at 16:41 of the third period for his first multi-goal game in 145 games. He completed his first NHL hat trick at 17:50 to give the Canadiens a 4-1 lead.

Forward Brandon Prust scored in the first period for the Canadiens (20-10-2), who improved to 3-0-0 on their five-game homestand.

Price lost his shutout at 6:47 of the third when forward Victor Rask got credit for his fifth goal to draw Carolina within 2-1.

After he nudged the puck across the goal line with his glove, Price made a sprawling save on Ron Hainsey's shot from the slot at 14:56.

Goalie Cam Ward made 25 saves for Carolina (8-19-3), which has scored 10 goals in its past eight games, including one in each of its six straight losses.

Ward was out of position when Prust scored his second goal to make it 1-0 at 9:15 of the first period. Forward PA Parenteau's cross-ice pass to forward David Desharnais set up the goal.

Desharnais skated around the left side of the net when Ward challenged him, and passed to Prust, who shot past Hainsey for the goal.

Galchenyuk made it a two-goal lead at 8:33 of the second when he finished off a play that Canadiens right wing Brendan Gallagher started with a breakout pass to Andrei Markov.

Montreal forward Max Pacioretty took a pass from Markov and passed back to Galchenyuk, who trailed Markov into the zone for a shot into a wide open net for his seventh goal.

Pacioretty assisted on each of Galchenyuk's goals.

Rask scored his fifth goal in the third period. Price stopped Jeff Skinner's shot from the right side but the puck dropped to his left pad, which Rask jammed at to knock it free before the Montreal goalie pushed it over the line when he reached for it with his glove.

When My Heart Finds Christmas - Harry Connick, Jr.