MONTREAL -- In a battle of youth, the Calgary Flames' young guns came out on top.

Sean Monahan scored twice and added an assist, and Dougie Hamilton recorded three assists to lift the Flames to a 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night at the Bell Centre.

"Obviously we're confident right now," said Monahan, who has seven points (five goals, two assists) in his last four games. "We're not in the spot we want to be but we want to show pride and character and dig deep here to end the season. I think we did that again tonight."

Michael McCarron scored the lone goal for the Canadiens.

Niklas Backstrom, appearing in his first NHL game since Jan.13, 2015, made 21 saves for the Flames (31-35-6). Mike Condon stopped 30 shots for Montreal.

"The guys in front of me played a great game and helped me a lot," said Backstrom. "It was fun to be out there. It's a long time since my last game so there's for sure some things in my game that I need to improve, things I have to do better, but we got a win, and that's what we wanted tonight."

Joe Colborne and Johnny Gaudreau also scored for Calgary, which has picked up points in four straight games and five of its last six.

With the loss, the injury-depleted Canadiens (33-34-6) dropped below .500 for the first time this season, leading some fans to voice their displeasure with boos late in the game.

"We have a job to do," said defenseman Nathan Beaulieu. "We don't want to let (the fans) down. We've still got to show up to play even under the circumstances."

After a scoreless first period that featured more turnovers than actual scoring opportunities, it was the Flames who broke the 0-0 tie.

Sam Bennett skated a Canadiens turnover in the Flames' zone down the ice before sending a cross-ice feed to T.J. Brodie from the left circle. Both Montreal defensemen committed to the Calgary blue-liner, leaving Colborne alone in front to take Brodie's pass and easily poke it past Condon at 16:06.

Monahan's 25th goal of the season doubled the visitors' lead nearly three minutes later. Josh Jooris, down low, dished off to Hamilton at the point. Hamilton wound up for a fake slap-shot attempt before sending a wrister toward an uncovered Monahan at the lip of the crease.

Montreal's best chance came in the second period before the Flames got on the board, courtesy of Calgary defenseman Mark Giordano. The Flames captain tossed a backhand shot, looking to rim the puck behind the net, but Backstrom was alert to glove the puck before it got by him.

"He just told me he wanted to have a shot on net," Backstrom said of his fist-bump exchange with the Flames captain after making the save.

Gaudreau extended the lead to 3-0 at 10:38 of the third period. Monahan, in the slot, turned and found his winger in the right circle, and Gaudreau fired glove side.

Monahan piled on with his second of the night less than two minutes later on the power play. Condon saved Hamilton's shot from the point but couldn't smother the puck, and Monahan picked up the rebound to lift it into the net.

McCarron's first NHL goal ensured the Canadiens wouldn't be shut out for a second consecutive game. Nathan Beaulieu wired a point shot and the 6-

foot-6, 231-pound rookie, screening Backstrom while battling with a Flames defender, deflected it in just 36 seconds after Monahan's tally.

"It was pretty exciting, for sure," said McCarron, who was the recipient of a loud roar of appreciation from the fans when his goal was announced. "It's something that I've always wanted to do. The fans were pretty loud after I scored and I just want to say thank you."

NOTES: The Canadiens' never-ending list of injuries added two more names on Sunday, with D Victory Bartley (lower body) and RW Sven Andrighetto (upper body) the latest to be sidelined. ... Montreal called up D Joel Hanley, making his NHL debut, from the AHL's St. John's IceCaps, while LW Jacob De La Rose drew back in after sitting as a healthy scratch on Saturday against Ottawa. ... Calgary was without D Deryk Engelland, who went to be with his wife for the birth of their second child. ... The Flames called up D Tyler Wotherspoon to replace him in the lineup while C Sam Bennett returned after missing four games with an upper-body injury. ... C Freddie Hamilton and G Joni Ortio sat as Calgary's healthy scratches.