Minnesota Wild

Canadiens' Mike Cammalleri and Wild's Greg Zanon crash behind the net during the game Thursday night. Allen McInnis, The Gazette

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AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Mike Cammalleri I and II | Paul Mara | Marc-André Bergeron

• At a Glance: Guillaume Latendresse was booed every time he touched the puck or made a body check, but his new team got the better of his former mates as the Wild defeated the Canadiens 3-1 on Thursday night. And it didn't take the Wild long to get things going as Robert Earl scored 2:41 into the game with a shot through Carey Price's legs as the Canadiens goalie was caught out of position. Andrei Kostitsyn got that one back less than a minute later with a great backhand to beat Niklas Backstrom. Mikko Koivu would score the winning goal for the Wild 14:08 into the first during a power play and Cal Clutterbuck scored the third Minnesota goal 11:47 into the third period when a Chuck Kobasew shot took a weird bounce behind Price's net and came out in front of the net for Clutterbuck to tap home. Montreal outshot the Wild 31-21.

• Key Moments: With the Canadiens buzzing in the third period, Clutterbuck sealed the Wild win with his goal.

• What It Means: Montreal has now lost five straight games and saw its record drop to 15-18-3 as the Canadiens continue to slide down the Eastern Conference standings.

• What's Next: The Canadiens are on Long Island to take on the Islanders on Saturday, the start of seven straight games on the road. After the Islanders, the Canadiens are in Atlanta on Monday and Carolina on Wednesday. After a Christmas break, the Canadiens take on the Maple Leafs on Dec. 26 and the Senators on Dec. 28.