Habs down Hurricanes in battle of division leaders

Raleigh, NC – Lars Eller tallied the go-ahead goal in the third period and P.K. Subban added insurance in the Montreal Canadiens' 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in a battle of division leaders.

The Northeast-leading Canadiens had an 11-point streak (8-0-3) snapped Tuesday against the New York Islanders.

Brandon Prust and Gorges each netted a goal in the opening frame for Northeast-leading Montreal, which avoided consecutive losses for the first time in a month.

Carey Price made 42 saves, including on a penalty shot in the second period, in the win.

"I thought we came out strong in the first period and were a little flat in the second, but the most important thing is that we bounced back in the third period," Price said.

The Habs dropped three in a row prior to the start of that torrid 11-point stretch on Feb. 12 in a win against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Six points atop the Southeast division, Carolina had its four-game winning streak snapped.

Jordan Staal and Drayson Bowman potted goals, while Peters gave up four goals on 28 shots in the loss

"We couldn't get a bounce or break," Eric Staal said. "The effort was there."

Eller's goal came at the 6:09 mark and Subban lit the lamp on the power play just 1:47 later.

Eller tipped home Josh Gorges' pass from the right circle and Subban wound back and fired a one-time slap shot past Carolina netminder Justin Peters from the left point for his sixth goal of the year.

Earlier, after Prust and Gorges' first-period goals gave the Habs a 2-0 lead, Staal and Bowman tallied a little over four minutes apart during the middle stages of the second to knot the contest heading into the third.

Game Notes

Montreal went 1-for-6 on the power play, while Carolina was 0-for-4 on the man advantage ... The Hurricanes outshot the Canadiens 21-5 in the second period ... Staal's goal was his sixth of the year.