Newark, NJ (SportsNetwork.com) - Carey Price made 22 saves and picked up his 200th win in his 400th NHL game as the Montreal Canadiens beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2 at Prudential Center.
Michael Bournival scored his first two goals of the season and Max Pacioretty added a power-play goal for the Canadiens, who have won five straight and eight of their last nine games.
"We knew we had to be patient. We capitalized on the few chances that we did get," Price said.
Michael Ryder and Mike Cammalleri had third-period goals for New Jersey, which nearly erased a 3-0 deficit. Keith Kinkaid stopped 22 shots in the Devils' fifth loss in six games.
Ryder was one of three forwards to return to the New Jersey lineup Friday night. He and Patrik Elias had been out with the mumps, while Martin Havlat missed time with an illness.
Ryder ended a 21-game goal drought 34 seconds after Bournival roofed a rebound to give Montreal a 3-0 lead at 2:47 of the third period. He beat Price on his glove side with a wrist shot from the right circle on a 2-on-1 break.
Cammalleri collected Jaromir Jagr's pass from the right corner and buried his own rebound past Price from the slot with 5:49 remaining.
After Montreal killed a penalty, Tomas Plekanec scored into an empty net with 27 seconds left to seal the victory.
"In the third period we came back and we had a power play. We had great looks on it, but didn't finish it," said Devils president and general manager Lou Lamoriello.
The Canadiens were unlucky when Brendan Gallagher rang a shot off the left post with 44 seconds left in the first period.
Bournival gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead on a fortuitous bounce at 6:31 of the second period. Bournival's intended pass from the left wing to Dale Weise deflected in off the right skate of New Jersey defenseman Jon Merrill.
Pacioretty snapped a shot from the right circle past Kinkaid on a power play to make it 2-0 with 51 seconds left in the second.
Game Notes
Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban had three assists ... Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin played in his 200th NHL game ... Montreal announced on its Twitter account at the start of the third period that forward Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau would not return because of an undisclosed injury ... New Jersey defenseman Peter Harrold left at 10:33 of the first period and didn't return after he was hit in the face by Nathan Beaulieu's stick. No penalty was called ... The Canadiens conclude a five-game road trip Saturday in Pittsburgh.
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