FINAL: Canadiens 3, Blue Jackets 2

Columbus gave a game effort Tuesday night without leading scorer Artemi Panarin on Tuesday night in Montreal, but the Canadiens (32-21-7) broke a four-game winless streak with a 3-2 win over the Blue Jackets (33-23-3) at Centre Bell.
Game in a Paragraph
Montreal took advantage of some puck luck in the opening period to take a 2-0 lead, putting Columbus in a hole for the second straight night, but the Blue Jackets drew one back in a lively second period. Playing without Panarin,
who missed the game with illness
, Columbus tied the score in the third but Montreal got the winner with 6:52 to play.

Quote of the Game
Captain Nick Foligno: "It's disapponting. I think we played, especially in the second half (of the game), I thought our defensive mind-set was so much better, which created our offense. You could see us getting more chances because of it. It's disappointing to not come away with at least a point in that game."
CBJ Standouts
Quick Recap
Given the critical nature of the game, both teams came out flying, and it was Montreal that took a 1-0 lead just 1:21 into the game. After a Jackets chance at the other end, the Habs went the other way on a 2-on-1, and Max Domi's centering pass was blocked by Eric Robinson then went right back to him to tuck away behind Bobrovsky.
The Jackets nearly answered on the next shift as Oliver Bjorkstrand was fed in front and also had a whack at his rebound, but neither found its way behind Carey Price.
Columbus had some strong play in the opening half of the period but Montreal found its footing and pressed, getting a goal to make it 2-0 with 2:48 left in the first. It was another tough break for Columbus, as Jesperi Kotkaniemi's shot went wide but banged off the back boards, right out front for Paul Byron to bury before Bobrovsky could get reset.
The Blue Jackets regained some momentum early in the second though as Anderson scored just 1:05 into the second period. Boone Jenner did a nice job to feed him with space ahead, and Anderson carted the puck a good 100 feet on a 2-on-1 before ripping a shot over Price's glove to make it 2-1.
Price then had to stop Riley Nash on a feed from Lukas Sedlak shortly thereafter, and the second scrap of the game came later in the period -- Scott Harrington and Andrew Shaw went in the first -- when Foligno and Max Domi dropped the gloves.
That nearly led to a Blue Jackets' shorthanded goal as Anderson skated in alone on a breakaway, but Price made the stop then Shea Weber cleared the puck out of the crease as it sat there.
The Jackets' grit line eventually got the tying goal, though, with 10:53 to go. It was nearly the same setup as the first goal, with Jenner springing Anderson on an odd-man rush, but this time Price made the save; however, Foligno was there to crash the net and bang home the rebound from the crease to make it 2-2.

Bobrovsky then kept it a 2-2 game with the Jackets on penalty kill shortly thereafter. Domi centered to Shaw across the crease but Bobrovsky slid over for the stop, and the rebound ended up underneath the onrushing Seth Jones in the crease for a whistle.
But the CBJ goalie had no chance as Montreal took a 3-2 lead with 6:52 left, as Jordie Benn found the space to make a perfect cross-crease feed to Tomas Tatar to stuff past Bobrovsky from the doorstep. It was Tatar's third goal of the year vs. Columbus.
Price made the lead stand up with 5:09 to go with a glove snag on Zach Werenski then made a few more big stops through traffic down the stretch to preserve the win.
By the Numbers
The Blue Jackets entered having won four in a row on the road. … Columbus is now 3-5-2 in second half of back-to-backs and 2-1 without Panarin. … The Blue Jackets went 0-2 on the power play and have now gone five straight games without a power-play goal but kept Montreal's 30th-ranked power play to an 0-for-3 mark. ... The game was the 800th of Brandon Dubinsky's NHL career. … Columbus had been 6-1-1 in its last eight vs. the Habs entering the season, but Montreal won the previous game in the season series by a 4-1 score Jan. 18 in Columbus. The teams finish the season series March 28 at Nationwide Arena.
Roster Report
Three players left the lineup from the 5-1 loss Monday night vs. Tampa Bay. Kole Sherwood was returned to AHL Cleveland, Panarin was out with illness, and Ryan Murray did not make the trip after being injured vs. the Lightning. Dean Kukan entered the defensive group while Anthony Duclair returned to the lineup and Brandon Dubinsky played for the first time since Feb. 2 because of a hip injury.
Up Next
The Blue Jackets are off for two days before the second game of the Canadian road trip as Columbus faces Ottawa on Friday night. The team then returns home to face San Jose on Saturday night.