Price: Solid from start to finish

NEW YORK - One victory. That's all that separates Carey Price from tying Hall-of-Famer Jacques Plante atop the Canadiens' all-time wins list.

Price's 313th career win on Friday night at Madison Square Garden really was a thing of beauty.
The 31-year-old goaltender turned aside 28 of 30 shots against in a 4-2 triumph over the New York Rangers.
Several of those stops were of the highlight-reel variety, including a beautiful save on Vladislav Namestnikov during the middle period that appeared to give the Canadiens energy after getting off to a rather slow start.
Shortly thereafter, Brendan Gallagher tied things up at one goal apiece and the Habs were off to the races from there on out.

Joel Armia scored the Canadiens' three ensuing goals to register the first hat trick of his NHL career.
In the aftermath of their second consecutive victory, though, it was Price who earned plenty of praise from his teammates for standing tall when things weren't necessarily trending in the right direction.
"Obviously, we didn't have the start that we wanted," admitted assistant captain Brendan Gallagher, shortly after the Canadiens fell behind just 4:41 into the opening frame on a Namestnikov marker. "To have a goaltender like that to keep you in it, allow you to find your legs, allow you to battle back in it, we easily could have been down a couple early. A big part of that win goes out to him."

Head coach Claude Julien was certainly in agreement there. Based on his analysis, Price was the real difference-maker in the Big Apple.
"Carey gave us a chance there," insisted Julien, during his postgame press conference. "The way we started the first, if it wasn't for him, it might've been a different outcome."
Even the Canadiens' top offensive weapon on Friday night singled out the seven-time All-Star's effort during his media scrum.
"I think he's incredible every night," stressed Armia, after watching Price stymie the Rangers to secure his 27th win of the season.

Three for Joel
While Armia was pleased with his performance, he was even happier that it came in a winning cause which enabled the Canadiens to pick up four out of a possible eight points on their extended trek.
"It feels good, obviously," said Armia, regarding his second multi-goal game of the season. "But I think for our group, it doesn't matter who scores the goals. We just need good wins, so it feels good."

Julien believes the five-year NHL veteran has been a valuable addition to the group.
"He's been a good player for us this year. He's something we don't have a lot of, a big forward that protects the puck well, is strong, hard to get the puck off of, and excels along the walls. He's a big body," explained Julien. "He's got a good shot and he showed that tonight. Hopefully that's the confidence that he needs to score more goals."

Gallagher was glad to see things click for the Canadiens' No. 40.
"It's cool. He's a big part of our group. He's come in, fit in and he's filled a role," said Gallagher. "It's cool to see guys have those moments. He works hard for it. You feel good for him."

Talking Anderson
Price took the time to watch video footage of his unique encounter with 11-year-old Anderson Whitehead last weekend in Toronto before downing the Rangers.
After being uploaded by a family member online, the video went viral across the globe on social media and quickly caught everyone's attention.

"I looked at it this morning," said Price, who shared a special embrace with Anderson after learning that his mother had passed away last November following a lengthy battle with cancer. "It was a touching moment for the young guy… It was definitely an emotional experience for myself. Obviously, he's going through a tough time. I'm a compassionate person and he touched me a lot. I was glad to help out in some small way."