Canadiens 3, Hurricanes 1: Carey Price made 28 saves to lead visiting Montreal to its sixth win in seven games.

Jiri Sekac and Lars Eller scored second-period goals for the Canadiens, who defeated Carolina for the second time in two weeks. Max Pacioretty added an empty-netter to seal the victory.

Captain Eric Staal netted a power-play goal for the Hurricanes, who fell to 1-7-1 against Atlantic Division opponents. Cam Ward turned aside 16 shots in suffering his second straight loss since the holiday break.

Sekac opened the scoring 6:45 into the middle session, cutting into the slot and unleashing a backhander that fooled Ward. Eller doubled the lead exactly 12 minutes later with a one-timer from the right faceoff dot off a feed from Dale Weise.

Staal jammed home a rebound 2:59 into the third period, ending Montreal’s streak of 23 consecutive successful penalty kills. The Canadiens hung on despite being outshot 13-4 in the final 20 minutes.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Hurricanes C Jordan Staal recorded an assist in his season debut after recovering from a broken leg. … Eller’s goal was the 21,000th tally in Canadiens franchise history. … Hurricanes C Jiri Tlusty returned after missing six games and also assisted on his team's only goal. … Price has made 11 consecutive starts for Montreal.