DENVER -- Jarome Iginla was denied a hat trick, but the Colorado Avalanche right winger was happy to settle for an important win in a tight playoff race.

Iginla scored twice, including a tiebreaking goal with 2:03 remaining, and Colorado beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Wednesday night.

Defenseman Erik Johnson also scored, center Matt Duchene had two assists and goaltender Semyon Varlamov made 32 saves for Colorado, which snapped a four-game losing streak at home.

Colorado moved two points ahead of Nashville for the first wild card in the Western Conference with the Predators having played three fewer games.

"It's a big help and all the points we can bank right now are huge because we're going to have days off while other teams play those games in hand," Johnson said.

The outcome was in doubt until the final minutes when Iginla delivered. Duchene got the puck to center Mikhail Grigorenko at the bottom of the left circle, and he fed Iginla in front of the net. He tapped it for his 17th of the season and 606th of his career.

"You dream of those open nets late. It was a gutsy win for us," Iginla said of his 97th career game-winner, which tied him with Guy Lafleur for eighth all-time.

The winning play started when Grigorenko stole the puck from Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban at the Colorado blue line.

"He didn't really push me," Subban said. "I'm pretty strong on the puck on those situations. My feet came out from under me. Usually if I feel a guy on me, at that point, I just put it in deep."

Montreal goalie Ben Scrivens was pulled for an extra skater with 1:05 left but the Canadiens couldn't get the tying goal.

Center Lars Eller and defenseman Andrei Markov had goals for Montreal (27-27-4). Scrivens stopped 25 shots for the Canadiens.

Iginla's winner was his second of the night but it could have been his 13th career hat trick had one call gone his way earlier. Iginla appeared to tie the game late in the second but his goal was disallowed on goaltender interference and he was assessed a minor.

Colorado killed off the penalty, and later in the second Iginla scored on a power play to tie it at 2-2.

"He played it up and it made it hard on the ref because it was in real time," Iginla said of Scrivens. "I thought I was outside the crease. I was surprised to get a penalty but what a big kill by the guys. That's a big swing. You go from thinking you might have scored to being in the penalty box."

Scrivens saw it differently.

"It doesn't take a lot to throw you back," he said. "I didn't think I embellished it. Personally, thought right call. That's me. I'm biased."

The Avalanche (30-26-4) were coming off a 2-1 road trip, with one win coming in a shootout against Detroit in a game they were badly outplayed.

Those two points were valuable in the fight for one of the two wild card berths in the Western Conference.

"We needed to get back on the winning side, and being at home we needed to build something again," Iginla said. "These games are going to go fast. "

The Canadiens have struggled since their hot start to the season. Montreal is six points out of the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference after beginning the year 19-4-3 but still believes it can rally to make the playoffs.

"We go to the next game and win that and all of a sudden have a good feeling going," Scrivens said. "We believe in ourselves."

The Canadiens had three odd-man rushes in the first eight minutes and cashed in on the last one. Subban carried the puck into the Colorado zone, dropped it back to Markov, who beat Varlamov with a snap shot at 7:40 of the first.

It was his fourth of the season.

Johnson tied it up with a short-handed goal at 3:31 of the second, his ninth, but Eller made it 2-1 with his 10th at 6:38.

NOTES: Avalanche RW Jack Skille returned to action after missing five games with a concussion. He suffered it Feb. 4 against Dallas. ... Canadiens C David Desharnais was out of the lineup with a lower-body injury suffered against Arizona on Monday night. Desharnais, who has nine goals and 17 assists this season, missed his first game. ... Colorado G Reto Berra returned to practice but has not been cleared to play again. Berra suffered a sprained ankle playing soccer before the Avalanche's game against Toronto on Dec. 21. ... Montreal LW Lucas Lessio was activated from injured reserve. Lessio missed six games with a lower-body injury.