Music: {allcanada} Price leads Canadiens past Hurricanes

Monday, December 29, 2014

{allcanada} Price leads Canadiens past Hurricanes

Bangerz (Deluxe Version) - Miley Cyrus

Carey Price stopped 28 shots and the Montreal Canadiens continued their mastery of the Carolina Hurricanes with a 3-1 victory at PNC Arena on Monday.

Jiri Sekac and Lars Eller scored second-period goals for Montreal, which has won four in a row against Carolina and is 7-0-2 in its past nine games against the struggling Hurricanes. The Canadiens (23-11-2) are 2-0-0 on a five-game road trip that continues against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.

Price stopped the first 19 shots he faced before Hurricanes captain Eric Staal scored a power-play goal early in the third period. Montreal's Max Pacioretty hit the empty net with 22.1 seconds remaining.

Cam Ward made 16 saves for Carolina (10-22-4), which is last in the Metropolitan Division and 29th in the overall standings.

Montreal had the first four shots on goal, but Carolina's Riley Nash had the best chances in the early going. Price stopped Nash on a wide-open one-timer from 10 feet and made another save on the rebound 4:48 into the game, then robbed him on two close-in chances two minutes later after Nash was left all alone just outside the crease.

Ward made his best stop of the period with seven minutes remaining when he gloved Sekac's slap shot from inside the left circle. The Canadiens appeared to score on Ward at 17:07, only to have referee Gord Dwyer immediately wave it off, ruling that Montreal forward Brendan Gallagher had interfered with Ward in the crease.

Jordan Staal, playing in his first game of the season more than three months after breaking his right fibula, nearly put Carolina ahead 5:14 into the second period, but Price made a superb play to stop his deflection on the power play.

The Canadiens went ahead 6:45 into the second when Sekac carried the puck down the left wall, reversed to shake free of a checker, then backhanded a shot through traffic and past Ward as he skated across the slot. It was his seventh goal of the season.

Eller gave the Canadiens a two-goal lead at 18:45 with his eighth of the season. Defenseman Sergei Gonchar pinched to keep the puck in at the right point and fed Dale Weise. He slipped a backhand pass to Eller near the right faceoff dot for a quick shot that beat Ward high to the far side.

The goal was the 21,000th in franchise history, including the Canadiens' tenure in the National Hockey Association as well as the NHL.

Eric Staal, playing in his 800th regular-season game, cut Montreal's lead in half 2:59 into the third period when he nudged home a rebound for his eighth goal of the season.

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