Canadiens score six against Jets, get sixth win in eight games

WINNIPEG -- Tomas Tatar and Phillip Danault each scored two goals for the Montreal Canadiens in a 6-2 win against the Winnipeg Jets at Bell MTS Place on Monday.

Carey Price made 27 saves for the Canadiens (18-13-6), who have won three of their past four games and six of eight heading into the Christmas break.
"We started the game bad, but we all stepped up," said Danault, who scored in a 4-3 loss at the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. "We played better defensively, and Price] made some big saves. We tied up defensively, and we got better offensively as well. We capitalized, so that was the game today."
***[WATCH: [All Canadiens vs. Jets highlights]*
Laurent Brossoit made 42 saves for the Jets (21-14-2), who have lost three of four.
"They were obviously quick," Winnipeg captain Blake Wheeler said. "They hemmed us in a little bit in the second period, (and) we weren't able to get out of our zone. They got a couple good bounces going their way, and all of a sudden you go from having a really good start to being down a few goals, and it's an uphill battle."
Tatar scored his goals 1:32 apart in the first period, tying the game 1-1 on the power play at 15:06 and giving Montreal a 2-1 lead at 16:38.
"I thought we really had a hard time finding our legs in that first 10 minutes, and they were taking the play to us," Canadiens coach Claude Julien said. "It just seemed that the second half of the first [period] we started finding our legs, and I thought we started playing better."
Tatar said, "I think the whole line (with Danault and Brendan Gallagher) is playing really well and clicking. We were clicking last year. We're just trying to work hard and continue to be desperate for the team. I think just because we're talking a lot, it's just working for us right now."

Danault scored twice in 4:19 in the second, making it 3-1 at 4:37 and 4-1 at 8:56.
Kyle Connor gave the Jets a 1-0 lead when he scored on the power play at 11:30 of the first period.
Patrik Laine scored at 9:20 of the first, but Julien challenged for offside, and the goal was overturned following video review that showed Laine enter the Canadiens zone ahead of the puck.
"We like our first [period]," Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice said. "I'm not saying we're dominating, but their guy made some saves, and it's a real good hockey game. A tough break at 3-1, and then a couple of mistakes and now you're reeling a little bit. It snowballed on us a little bit there in the second."
Laine cut Montreal's lead to 4-2 at 16:14 of the second period, but Max Domi made it 5-2 with 40 seconds remaining in the period.

Artturi Lehkonen scored at 11:08 of the third to make it 6-2.
Canadiens forward Joel Armia left the game at 7:12 of the second period with an upper-body injury.

They said it

"Over this road trip, we've had a lot of that. People from all over Canada are big Habs fans, so it's awesome to have their support on the road." -- Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki
"By not watching it again. It's not how we play. We had a tough period of hockey. We ground through the third period. There won't be an autopsy on this game."-- Jets coach Paul Maurice on how he will deal with the game

Need to know

The Canadiens went 3-1-0 on their road trip through Western Canada and Winnipeg, scoring 16 goals in the four games. ... Tatar has six goals in the past seven games. ... Domi has three goals and three assists during a four-game point streak. ... Laine has five goals in the past five games. ... Jets center Mark Scheifele had two assists and has 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in the past 10 games.

What's next

Canadiens: At the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; SN360, CITY, SNE, TVAS, SUN, NHL.TV)
Jets: Host the St. Louis Blues on Friday (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, FS-MW, NHL.TV)