CANADIENS EDGE FLAMES 3-2

Price ties Roy with 289th Habs win

For nearly 36 minutes, Calgary goaltender David Rittich was unbeatable.

But a couple of power-play goals late in the second period turned the tide as the Canadiens got back on track with a 3-2 win over the Flames Tuesday night at the Bell Centre.

Special teams were key as Montreal ran its record to 5-1-2. While the Canadiens scored twice on five power-play opportunities, Montreal’s penalty killers had a perfect night as they killed off five penalties.

Rittich, who was coming off a 44-save performance in New York Sunday night, was under pressure from the opening faceoff, Montreal enjoyed a 26-11 edge in shots before Jeff Petry scored at 15:50 to pull the Canadiens even at 1-1. The goal was Petry’s 100th NHL point and he added an assist at 17:29 when Brendan Gallagher redirected his pass for another power-play goal.

Jonathan Drouin assisted on Petry’s goal and scored his third goal of the season before the period ended. After failing to pick up a point in his first three games, he extended his points streak to five games and now has three goals and four assists on the season.

Carey Price stopped 21 shots, but had plenty of help from the players in front of him. The Canadiens blocked 20 shots, including nine in the first period. Price’s win was the 289th of his career, tying Patrick Roy for No. 2 on the Canadiens’ alltime list. Jacques Plante heads the list with 314.

Price lost his shutout late in the first period when the Flames got the bounce on a play that started with Matthew Tkachuk’s shot from the slot after a feed from behind the net by Mikael Backlund. Tkachuk’s shot was wide of the net, but it caromed off Michael Frolik. Price managed to get his right pad on the puck, but it bounced over the pad and into the net.

There were some anxious moments after Elias Lindholm scored on a rebound midway through the third period to cut the Canadiens’ lead to one goal. The goal brought back memories of Saturday night’s meltdown in Ottawa, where Montreal blew a 3-1 lead and lost 4-3 in overtime to the Senators. The tension increased when Max Domi took a penalty with six minutes to play, but the PK maintained its perfect record, allowing only one shot.

JOHN MAHONEY Canadiens goaltender Carey Price makes a save as defenceman Mike Reilly looks to clear the rebound during second period of Tuesday’s game against the Calgary Flames at the Bell Centre. The Canadiens avoided another late-game meltdown for a 3-2 victory.