ST. LOUIS - Alexei Kovalev scored the lone shootout goal to give the Montreal Canadiens a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Sunday night.

After the Blues missed on all three of their shots in the tiebreaker, Kovalev beat Manny Legace with a high backhander for the win.

Andrei Kostitsyn and Robert Lang scored in regulation for the Canadiens, who won for only the second time in six games after starting the season 8-1-1. Carey Price stopped 24 shots.

The Canadiens were 0-for-10 on the power play and have scored twice in their last 36 chances. St. Louis was 1-for-9 with the man advantage.

Steve Regier scored twice for the Blues, and Legace also stopped 24 shots.

Price gave the Canadiens a chance to win it with a pad save on Keith Tkachuk's shootout attempt.

The Blues appeared on their way to a win until Lang tied it at 2 with 4:12 to play on an assist from Kostitsyn.

Regier, recalled earlier in the day from Peoria of the AHL, took a feed from David Perron in the low left slot and beat Price 3:24 into the final period to give the Blues a 2-1 lead.

The Blues' Cam Paddock won a faceoff to Cam Janssen, who collected the puck and snapped a shot from between the circles that deflected in off Regier in the crease past Price 3:48 into the opening period to give the Blues a 1-0 lead.

Legace preserved the lead in the opening period with a terrific save with the paddle of his stick on a shot from the right of the goal from Tomas Plekanec with 2:52 remaining in the period.

Kostitsyn's backhand that squirted through Legace's pads tied the game at 1 with 1:55 remaining after an outlet pass from Price.

Notes: Blues C Andy McDonald left the game late in the first period with a lower body injury. McDonald went awkwardly into the corner boards in the Montreal end and was favouring his left leg while being helped off the ice. ... Montreal D Mike Komisarek (strained shoulder) missed his second straight game after being injured during a fight Thursday night in Boston. ... Blues F Lee Stempniak has 10 points in his last six games after managing only one point in six games to begin the season. ... The assist for Price was his third career point. ... Montreal D Francis Bouillon took a shot to the mouth off in overtime and was immediately rushed off the ice.