Canadiens-Stars: Price Back In Form, Leads Habs in 3-1 Win

For the first time in a while, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price was smiling tonight in the Canadiens dressing room.

He had every reason to, stopping 30 of 31 shots and leading his team to their first win in Dallas in 11 years with a 3-1 victory over the Stars.

However, things did not start off good for Price and company.

The Stars controlled the first period and out-shot their opponents 9-3. Two of those Canadiens shots were from near mid-ice. 

The Canadiens would find themselves in a heap of further penalty trouble through most of the period.

But the Montreal penalty-killers would be a major factor tonight, limiting the Stars to just a single, five-on-three power play goal by Loui Eriksson in six chances in the first 19 minutes.

A penalty to Alex Kovalev in the last minute followed by a call on Captain Saku Koivu at the end of the first would give the Stars a five-on-three advantage to start the next period.

Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau clearly must have had words with his team during the intermission as his team managed to change momentum and gain some discipline.

Tomas Plekanec would lead the penalty-killing unit into the second period, shutting down the Stars' attack.

Andrei Kostitsyn would end his six-game pointless streak, scoring his 23rd goal of the season at the five minute mark.

Kovalev then scored his 16th of the season with a blistering slap shot that blew past Stars' netminder Marty Turco and into the top corner just as a Dallas penalty was ending for a 2-1 lead.

Montreal would keep the momentum rolling into the third period, forcing the Stars into bad playmaking decisions.

The back-breaker for Dallas would be a misplay behind the goal by Turco that would allow Canadiens winger Christopher Higgins to fire the puck into an empty net, insuring a victory.

Price would slam the door shut the rest of the way with 14 saves in the period, earning the game's first star.

The Canadiens' win allows them to hold on to fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

They will return to Montreal, where they will play nine of their next 10 games at home starting Tuesday night against Edmonton.