Canadiens 3, Blue Jackets 1: Max Pacioretty recorded his second two-goal performance in as many meetings with Columbus as host Montreal improved to 6-1-2 in its last nine games.

Tomas Plekanec scored his third short-handed goal of the season and Carey Price finished with 31 saves to improve to 11-1-1 in his last 13 starts for the Canadiens. David Desharnais notched an assist for the third straight contest.

Nick Foligno netted his team-leading 23rd goal for the Blue Jackets, who saw their two-game winning streak come to an end with their second loss this season to Montreal. Curtis McElhinney turned aside 21 shots in suffering just his second setback in seven outings.

After tallying twice in the Canadiens' 3-2 victory over Columbus on Jan. 14, Pacioretty continued to torment the Blue Jackets by scoring on a pair of one-timers from the right faceoff circle in just over 13 minutes of action. Foligno halved the deficit with 5:55 remaining in the first period by tapping home a loose puck following Artem Anisimov's drive to the net.

Cam Atkinson's bid to forge a tie with one second to play in the middle period caromed off both posts before settling out of the goal. Montreal defenseman Andrei Markov was whistled for a delay-of-game penalty with 1:44 left in the third and Columbus pulled McElhinney for an extra attacker, but Plekanec was able to seal the win with an empty-net tally.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Columbus LW Scott Hartnell saw his career-high eight-game point streak come to an end. He collected four goals and seven assists during the run. ... Pacioretty's first goal came on the power play, ending a streak of 24 consecutive penalty kills on the road by Columbus. ... Montreal D P.K. Subban's five-game assist streak came to a halt. ... Canadiens LW Alex Galchenyuk sat out his second straight game due to the flu.