Tampa Bay Lightning

Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak makes a save against the Lightning's Steven Stamkos Tuesday night. Christinne Muschi, Reuters

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AUDIO: Mathieu Darche | Jacques Martin | Jaro Spacek | Glen Metropolit | Scott Gomez

• At a Glance: Mathieu Darche has been a useful player for the Canadiens since being recalled from Hamilton and he continued to show why Tuesday night with a pair of goals in a 5-3 Montreal win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Canadiens jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes on goals by Glen Metropolit and Scott Gomez, who finished the night with three points. Steven Stamkos made it 2-1 early in the second, but Benoit Pouliot quickly restored the two-goal lead and Darche scored the first of his two goals 7:33 into the second, chasing Antero Niittymaki from the Tampa Bay net. Matt Walker made it 4-2 midway through the second when his shot went off Travis Moen's stick and deflected passed Jaroslav Halak. Darche's second goal of the game, and his fifth of the season, came 3:26 into the third period, only moments after the end of a Canadiens power play. Martin St. Louis scored with 1:07 to play, but the Lightning could get no closer. Halak made 28 saves for the win, with Montreal going 1-for-2 on the power play while killing off three of four Tampa Bay man advantages. The Canadiens have won four of five games, and three straight, since returning from the Olympic break.

• Key Moments: Montreal killed off a Tampa Bay power play at the end of the second and start of the third before Darche gave the Canadiens a three-goal lead.

• What It Means: The Canadiens improve to 33-29-6 and 72 points, moving them two points ahead of the Boston Bruins, 4-3 losers in overtime to the Maple Leafs.

• What's Next: The Edmonton Oilers are in town on Thursday and the Bruins visit Saturday to wrap up a short three-game homestand for the Canadiens.

Canadiens' Benoit Pouliot is upended by Lightning's Paul Szczechura Wednesday night. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

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AUDIO: Scott Gomez | Carey Price | Ryan O'Byrne | Jacques Martin

• At a Glance: The Yo-Yo season continues for the Canadiens. After two solid win against the Devils and Rangers, Montreal lost the two games on their Florida trip. After a 2-1 loss on Tuesday, the Canadiens were blanked 3-0 by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night. And just like Tuesday, the Canadiens shot themselves in the foot with turnovers that led to two of the Tampa Bay goals. Martin St. Louis scored the first goal after Steve Downie stole the puck from Scott Gomez and fed St. Louis who was all alone in front of Carey Price. Vincent Lecavalier scored in the second period after another turnover led to confusion in the defensive end. Just three minutes after the Lecavalier goal, Steven Stamkos scored on the power play with a blistering shot past Price, who is by no means to blame for this loss as he was left to fend for himself, just like Jaroslav Halak had to do on Tuesday night.

• Key Moments: The Canadiens were blanked on the power play, going 0-for-3 and missing an opportunity to open the scoring early in the first period.

• What It Means: Montreal's record dropped to 25-25-5 after 55 games, more games played than any other team in the Eastern Conference. The Lightning now have 54 points in 52 games, only one point behind the Canadiens, who sit in ninth spot in the East.

• What's Next: The Canadiens are in Ottawa Saturday afternoon as part of Hockey Day in Canada. The game starts at 2 p.m. Montreal is then home to the Vancouver Canucks on Feb. 2 and travels to Boston Feb. 4.

Lightning defenceman Mattias Ohlund knocks the puck away from Canadiens' Mike Cammalleri during the first period on Wednesday night. Mike Carlson, Reuters

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• AUDIO: Carey Price | Brian Gionta | Tomas Plekanec | Jacques Martin

• At a Glance: Carey Price won his first start since Dec. 17, a 2-1 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning for which he can thank Tomas Plekanec. Plekanec scored the winner 3:32 into overtime on a two-on-one with Michael Cammalleri, beating Tampa goalie Mike Smith along the ice. Brian Gionta scored the Canadiens’ first goal, 9:53 into the second period. It was Gionta’s first goal in two games since returning from a broken foot. Kurtis Foster beat Price 3:52 into the third period and the Lightning, who dominated play in the final frame, looked hungry for the win. Price made 34 saves on 35 shots, while Smith was nearly as good, stopping 33 of 35 shots.

• Key Moments: Price stood on his head in the third, stopping 12 of 13 shots as the Canadiens had only four shots on goal in the period.

• What It Means: Montreal improved to 5-1 on their seven-game road trip and moved to 20-19-3 on the season for 43 points.

• What's Next: The Canadiens take on the Panthers on New Year's Eve at 5 pm ET and return home to take on the Sabres on Sunday in a 3 pm start.

Tampa's Ryan Malone scores game's first goal, beating prone Carey Price and defenceman Josh Gorges.
Pierre Obendrauf, Gazette

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• Pregame: Price regains a little swagger

• Postgame audio: Jacques Martin | Brian Gionta | Mike Cammalleri | Tomas Plekanec | Ryan White | Alex Tanguay

• At a Glance: One game at a time, Canadiens coach Jacques Martin said after his team's 2-1 shootout win over Boston on Thursday. True enough. The Habs gave up backbreaking goals late in the first and second period Saturday night to drop a 3-1 decision to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

• Key Moments: The Habs came out on fire but Tampa Bay opened the scoring when Ryan Malone took advantage of a fistful of Canadiens standing around goalie Carey Price, watching. If Price had no chance on that one, he was largely responsible for Tampa's second goal, yielding a huge rebound that was buried late in the first by former Hab Alex Tanguay. Montreal finally got on the board midway through the second, on the power play, when Brian Gionta swatted a rebound past Lightning goalie Antero Niittymaki. But huge Habs momentum evaporated with a Tampa goal two minutes before the end of the second, James Wright poking home a puck, one that Price should have smothered, from a wild scramble.

• What It Means: Price had a superb game against Boston on Thursday. On Saturday, not so much. With the Canadiens thin on an injured blue line, it needs a standout performance every game from its netminder. Even moreso when the Habs run into a superb goalie at the other end of the rink, as they did Saturday vs. Niittymaki.

• What's Next: The Habs practice Sunday morning at the Bell Centre for 20,000 or so fans in an annual grocery-chain promotion. They're back in action at home on Tuesday vs. Calgary, wearing throwback 1910-11 red and green uniforms, then hit the road for games Thursday in Phoenix and next Saturday in Nashville.

Canadiens captain Saku Koivu celebrates his game-winning goal in overtime against the  Lightning Thursday night. John Kenney, The Gazette 

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AUDIO:  Bob Gainey  Saku Koivu  Alex Kovalev  Andrei Markov

The Canadiens don't make anything easy on themselves this season and Thursday night was another glaring example of that. They managed to blow a two-goal third period lead against the Tampa Bay Lightning before eventually winning 3-2 in overtime.

With only 19 shots on net in regulation, it was a game the Lightning were never really in except for a few lucky bounces in the final 10 minutes of the game that allowed them to draw even and force extra time.

Saku Koivu scored the winner in overtime, his 15th goal of the season, allowing the Canadiens to maintain their hold on eighth place in the Eastern Conference with 85 points, two more than the Florida Panthers. The Panthers also won on Thursday, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2. The New York Rangers picked up a point in an overtime loss to the Thrashers and now have 87 points in seventh place.

After recording five goals and 11 points on Tuesday night, the Canadiens top line of Koivu, Alex Kovalev and Alex Tanguay continued their hot play, scoring a goal and missing several other excellent scoring chances.

Lightning star Vinny Lecavalier outmuscles Canadiens' Maxim Lapierre along the boards during Tampa Bay's victory.
Mike Carlson, Reuters

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• Postgame Audio:   Carbo   Higgins   Price

TAMPA, Fla. – The all-star break seems to have done little to recharge the slumping Canadiens.

Make it three straight losses now for the Habs, 5-3 road losers to the Tampa Bay Lightning and now an entirely ordinary 6-5 in their last 11 games.

This two-game road trip wraps up Thursday in the Sunshine State against the Florida Panthers before the Habs return home to take on Los Angeles and Boston in Super Bowl weekend Bell Centre matinées.

Good news where fans can unearth it: Montreal outshot Tampa Bay 34-24 – despite taking only five in the second period.

Tampa Bay's Evgeny Artyukhin hits Canadiens'
Alex Tanguay literally through the glass. The check ended the night of Tanguay, who left with a shoulder injury.
Mike Carlson, Reuters

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Canadiens' Maxim Lapierre and Alex Kovalev scored in the shootout and only Jussi Jokinen could solve Montreal goalie Carey Price to give the Habs a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

It was the Canadiens' third straight victory since the Christmas break, with two days off now before the team heads back to New Jersey to wrap up a four-game road trip.

Jokinen beat Price with a deke to open the shootout, Kovalev beat Lightning goalie Mike Smith on the backhand, Price pad-saved on Vinnie Prospal then Lapierre scored a top-shelf beauty to put Montreal one up.

It came down to Lightning captain Vinnie Lecavalier, who Price stopped with his right pad to give the Habs the victory, their fifth shootout win of the season against four defeats.

Vincent Lecavalier (left) and Martin St. Louis celebrate the latter's second-period shorthanded goal against the Canadiens.
John Kenney, Gazette

AUDIO: Guy Carbonneau  Jaroslav Halak  Maxim Lapierre Tom Kostopoulos 

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The NHL's cellar-dwelling Tampa Bay Lightning came to Montreal tonight riding a nine-game losing streak. They left having won one in a row, beating the Canadiens 3-1, and had the red faces of the Canadiens to see them on their way.

Montreal captain Saku Koivu suffered a lower-body injury in the second period and tried unsuccessfully to return to action. No word yet on his condition, beyond coach Guy Carbonneau saying further examination tomorrow should reveal more.

How to begin analyzing this one? The Lightning played Wednesday in Buffalo, lost 4-2 to see their record slide to 6-14-8. The Canadiens (16-7-5) enjoyed the night off Wednesday. And, it seems, tonight.

The Lightning overcame a 1-0 deficit with captain Vincent Lecavalier's goal the meat in the sandwich of two by Martin St. Louis, the two Quebecers' output more than enough to down the disorganized Canadiens on this night.