MTL@CBJ: A first this season

COLUMBUS - Carey Price turned in another solid performance between the pipes on Friday night, helping the Canadiens secure a fourth straight victory for the first time this season.

The 31-year-old goaltender turned aside 34 of 35 shots against in a 4-1 win over the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.
For his part, Tomas Tatar scored twice during the contest.
The Slovak sniper lit the lamp with his 15th goal of the year in the first period, before adding his 16th in the middle frame to snap a 10-game goal drought.
Following the tilt, the group as a whole felt a real sense of accomplishment.
"It's a tough place to play. They're a good team, but lately we feel like we can beat anybody and we played well tonight," explained Tatar, who registered his fourth multi-goal game of the season. "It's hard to win on the road, but we were ready. I don't think we changed anything. We just executed and we have to do it again on Saturday."

Even if Tatar would have liked to complete the hat trick, putting another two big points in the bank was the most important thing.
"It would have been good to get it, but I'm still happy with the result," mentioned Tatar.
Phillip Danault was pleased with the way things played out as well.
"I think that everyone played well defensively and that's what led to us generating offense," explained Danault. "The defensemen got the rush going strong and that made a difference."
Head coach Claude Julien was also pleased to see his players respond correctly to a big challenge on the road.
"It was a good outing. I think we tried to protect the lead during the second period instead of playing the right way, but we got back on track during the third. We closed things off quickly and it was a good road win," said Julien. "I thought that our defensemen made good choices when it came to their passes. The guys did a good job of slowing things down up front, too."

More good goaltending
After Antti Niemi, it was Price who enjoyed another stellar start.
He made several highlight-reel stops in Ohio and was clearly in fine form.
"Price was always solid. He made saves at key times. It's the Carey we know," praised Danault.
"He made big saves close to the net. He moves the puck well, too, which gives us the option of having a third defenseman out there, so to speak," mentioned Julien.
Price focused his comments on the Habs' overall performance.

"The guys did good work to help me see pucks. They kept the Blue Jackets to the outside. I think we started the game well and we let up a bit after that. But, we got things going again," said Price. "At this stage of the season, it's always good to string wins together. You can slide down quickly from being in a playoff spot."
The Canadiens will be back in action on Saturday night at the Bell Centre when they play host to the Philadelphia Flyers.