Canadiens 5, Bruins 1: Max Pacioretty scored twice while Dale Weise converted a penalty shot and added an assist as host Montreal breezed to its fourth straight victory.

Lars Eller also scored and set up a goal while Jiri Sekac netted a power-play tally for the Canadiens, who defeated Boston for the second time this season and claimed sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division. Brendan Gallagher notched an assist to extend his point streak to three games and Carey Price made 21 saves to improve to 19-8-3 lifetime versus the Bruins.

Defenseman Dougie Hamilton scored a power-play goal for Boston, which has been outscored 11-2 in back-to-back defeats following a five-game winning streak. Niklas Svedberg turned aside 29 shots in the loss.

Boston defensemen Dennis Seidenberg and Hamilton both went behind the net but saw the puck squirt into the slot, where Eller backhanded a shot inside the left post with exactly seven minutes remaining in the second period to give Montreal a 2-1 lead. Pacioretty doubled the advantage 1:57 later by one-timing Weise's feed past Svedberg and added his team-leading eighth goal after crashing the net at 5:09 of the third.

PA Parenteau was whistled for hooking and Boston made him pay just four seconds into the power play as Patrice Bergeron won the ensuing faceoff and Hamilton unleashed a blast past Price with 3:56 remaining in the first period to open the scoring. Montreal answered at 2:31 of the second as Weise converted his penalty shot after being tripped on a breakaway by Seidenberg.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Veteran D Sergei Gonchar registered three shots and three hits in 20:08 of ice time in his Montreal debut after being acquired from Dallas for LW Travis Moen on Tuesday. ... The Canadiens went 1-for-5 on the power play after entering the contest 0-for-22 in their previous 10 games. ... Boston LW Matt Fraser exited the contest shortly after his fight with Montreal D Nathan Beaulieu during the second period. He returned to begin the third.