FINAL: Canadiens 4, Blue Jackets 1

Columbus (28-16-3) saw a four-game winning streak come to a close in front of a sellout crowd Friday night in Nationwide Arena as visiting Montreal (27-17-5) earned a 4-1 victory.
Game in a Paragraph
Tomas Tatar and Carey Price did enough to keep the Blue Jackets at bay. Tatar scored in the first and second periods to give the Canadiens a 2-0 lead, while Price was perfect on 25 shots through two periods. Oliver Bjorkstrand scored early in the third to make it 2-1, but the Blue Jackets never could find the equalizer despite 35 shots on goal for the game. Joel Armia scored two empty-net goals to set the final score.

Quote of the Game
Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella: "We had some chances. We certainly didn't finish. We had some chances -- four posts. I still don't think we were totally clean with our passing. But I think we played well enough to at least get a point out of that, and we don't."

CBJ Notables
Bjorkstrand's third-period goal was his seventh of the year and continued the strong play of the team's fourth line.
Cam Atkinson had a team-high six shots on goal and helped pace the team's top line.
Joonas Korpisalo made 22 saves and was solid as the night went on.

Quick Recap
Montreal took a 1-0 lead 6:44 into the game as Tatar got on the board. Korpisalo couldn't corral the slap shot from the right point by Shea Weber, and Tatar was there to put the rebound in.
Columbus' best chance of the period came near the midway point when Artemi Panarin took a pass from Cam Atkinson and lined up a one-timer, but it hit the crossbar clean and went into the netting.
Riley Nash and Atkinson had chances for the Jackets early in the second, but Carey Price stood equal to the task. The Blue Jackets kept Montreal without a shot on goal for more than 17 minutes on either side of the first intermission, but that came to an end when the Habs made it 2-0 as Tatar was fed in behind the defense by Phillip Danault and deked out Korpisalo for the breakaway goal at 8:27.

From there, the Blue Jackets continued to be flummoxed through the end of the second period by both Price and the iron. Late in the period, All-Stars Atkinson and Seth Jones worked a perfect give-and-go into the zone that got Jones free, but his redirect of Atkinson's pass hit the post and stayed out.
Columbus finally got one by Price 5:13 into the third with Bjorkstrand's goal. Price couldn't corral a one-timer by Jones, and Nash swiped it through the crease to Bjorkstrand for the easy finish from in front.
"We got the puck deep and Jonesy had a good shot," Bjorkstrand said. "He couldn't handle it. Nash was there and poked it to me to tap in. We need more of that."

The Blue Jackets nearly got the equalizer near the midway point of the period as a long pass from Alex Wennberg gave Ryan Murray a breakaway, but Price made the save.
It was Korpisalo's turn to make a big stop with 7:51 left as Tatar intercepted a pass and skated into the slot, but the CBJ goalie snagged his attempt at a hat trick with his glove.
The ice was increasingly slanted toward Price's net over the final few minutes, but the Canadiens goalie stood tall before Joel Armia scored an empty-net goal with 2:14 left just as Korpisalo neared the bench. Armia added a second empty-net goal to set the final score.
"We had a couple of chances, but I don't think in the third period we got enough," Pierre-Luc Dubois said. "They played well. They had good sticks, but we've played against teams like that before and we find a way. We should have played better.
By the Numbers
Columbus didn't score in the first period for the first time in five games. ... The Blue Jackets were 0-2 on the power play. … The Blue Jackets killed three Montreal power plays, improving the CBJ penalty kill to 40-for-43 since Dec. 6. ... The Blue Jackets are now 12-4-1 in their last 17 games and saw a four-game winning streak at home end. … Columbus has won the season series each of the past three years, going 6-2-1 and outscoring Montreal 31-14.
Roster Report
Columbus shuffled its forward group a bit with Brandon Dubinsky's return, slotting him into the lineup and scratching Anthony Duclair.
Honoring the Military
Friday's game marked the team's annual Military Appreciation Night honoring those serving in the military and veterans who also have given the ultimate sacrifice.
Up Next
The Blue Jackets have one more game before their winter break, traveling to take on Minnesota tomorrow night at 9 p.m. (Fox Sports Ohio, Fox Sports app, 97.1 The Fan).