Weber helps Canadiens top Panthers, end losing streak

MONTREAL --The Montreal Canadiens scored three goals in 95 seconds in the second period and ended their seven-game losing streak with a 5-1 win against the Florida Panthers at Bell Centre on Tuesday.
Shea Weber scored twice, and Alex Galchenyuk, Brendan Gallagher and Max Pacioretty each had a goal for Montreal (2-6-1), which won for the first time since a season-opening 3-2 shootout win at the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 5.

WATCH: [All Panthers vs. Canadiens highlights]
Carey Price made 26 saves for the Canadiens, who were off to their worst start in 76 years with three points through their first eight games following an 0-3-0 California trip.
"It's a step in the right direction, but we can't step back," Weber said. "We've got to keep our foot on the gas and we've got to keep getting better."
Montreal had one win, six losses and one tie through its first eight games in 1941-42 on its way to a 1-10-1 start. The Canadiens' losing streak (0-6-1) was their longest since they lost nine straight games from Dec. 16, 1939, through Jan. 6, 1940.

Keith Yandle gave Florida a 1-0 lead 20 seconds into the second period. James Reimer made 32 saves in his second straight start for the Panthers (3-5-0) since Roberto Luongo sustained a right-hand injury.
Galchenyuk tied it 1-1 at 16:44 of the second with the first of back-to-back power-play goals for the Canadiens. Weber made it 2-1 at 18:02 on Montreal's fourth man-advantage opportunity of the period. Jonathan Drouin had an assist on each goal.
Gallagher, who assisted on Galchenyuk's goal, scored at 18:19 to give the Canadiens a 3-1 lead.
It was the first time Montreal led at the end of a period this season.
Weber (9:11) and Pacioretty (11:06) scored in the third period to put the Canadiens ahead 5-1. Montreal had not scored more than three goals in its first eight games.
"We were fine in the first period," Panthers center Aleksander Barkov said. "And the second period, we started fine and then we started to take those penalties and we started to turn pucks over all the time, and that cost us the game in the second period. And of course we wanted to bounce back in the third period, but we just didn't work hard enough."

Goal of the game

Galchenyuk drove to the net to chip a rebound of Gallagher's shot past Reimer. Drouin got the first of his two assists with a long pass to spring Gallagher down the right side.

Save of the game

Price squared to make a save 10 seconds after the opening face-off on Barkov's shot from the slot on a centering pass from Evgenii Dadonov.

Highlight of the game

Drouin got his second assist when he set up Weber, who beat Reimer with a one-timer from the top of the left face-off circle for Montreal's second power-play goal in 78 seconds.

They said it

"I thought we were in a real good position, up 1-0. I liked our game up to that point, then we get into penalty trouble. Our first two penalty kills were great, we didn't give them anything, and then guys start to get tired, wore down, the momentum switches and you're in your end for eight minutes at a time."-- Panthers coach Bob Boughner on taking four straight penalties in the second period
"It's always good to see a team that keeps fighting after something goes wrong, and that's something that we're going to have to be is resilient for the rest of the season." -- Canadiens goalie Carey Price about ending their seven-game losing streak

Need to know

Canadiens defenseman Karl Alzner played his 600th NHL game. He extended his consecutive-games streak to 549, passing Alex Delvecchio for the 16th-longest in NHL history. ... It was the first time this season Montreal did not allow a first-period goal. ... The Panthers have allowed a power-play goal in seven of eight games.

What's next

Panthers: Host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; FS-F, KCOP-13, NHL.TV)
Canadiens: Host the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; TSN2, RDS, FS-W, NHL.TV)