{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Montreal 5, St. Louis 2
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Where: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Referees: Brad Meier, T.J. Luxmore
Linesmen: Brad Kovachik, Pierre Racicot
Attendance: 19383

Canadiens 5, Blues 2: Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher each scored a pair of goals as visiting Montreal maintained its one-point lead atop the Eastern Conference.

Carey Price (27 saves) eclipsed the franchise record set by Rogie Vachon with his ninth consecutive road win and improved to 7-0-1 in his last eight starts. Michael Bournival scored 49 seconds after Gallagher's first tally and Galchenyuk added an assist while defensemen P.K. Subban and Andrei Markov each set up a pair of goals.

T.J. Oshie recorded a goal and an assist while captain David Backes also tallied for the Blues, who finished a 1-3-0 homestand and dropped nine points behind first-place Nashville in the Central Division. Rookie Jake Allen (18 saves) had his six-game winning streak halted, losing for the first time since Dec. 27.

Galchenyuk netted the lone goal of the first period with a deft deflection of Subban's blast from the right point before doubling the lead at 3:11 of the second, corralling the puck off a faceoff before beating Allen with a sharp-angle shot from the bottom of the left circle. Backes' redirection less than three minutes later cut the Blues' deficit in half before Montreal pulled away.

Gallagher pounced on Vladimir Tarasenko's attempted drop pass and finished a 2-on-1 rush by beating Allen low to the stick side at 15:49 before Bournival came out of the penalty box less than a minute later and converted a breakaway chance with 3:22 left in the period. Oshie answered 67 seconds later to draw St. Louis within 4-2, but Gallagher sealed it with a power-play tally with 4:13 to play in the third.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Montreal acquired RW Devante Smith-Pelly from Anaheim on Tuesday for rookie LW Jiri Sekac in a swap of 22-year-olds born four days apart. Smith-Pelly has recorded five goals and 17 points in 54 games this season. ... Backes joined Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz as the third St. Louis player to reach the 20-goal plateau this season. ... Galchenyuk registered his third multi-goal performance this season and boosted his career-high season total to 18 tallies.
Top Game Performances
 
Montreal   St. Louis
Alex Galchenyuk 3 Points T.J. Oshie 2
Alex Galchenyuk 2 Goals T.J. Oshie 1
Andrei Markov 2 Assists T.J. Oshie 1
Brendan Gallagher 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Carey Price .931 Save Percentage Jake Allen .783
Carey Price 27 Saves Jake Allen 18
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Montreal 23 5 1-2 2-2 6 37
St. Louis 29 2 0-2 1-2 6 27
Upcoming Games
  • St. Louis will play their next game on the road against Winnipeg. The Blues have a W/L % of .684 after a win and .545 after a loss.
  • Montreal will play their next game on the road against Columbus. The Canadiens have a W/L % of .684 after a win and .591 after a loss.