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Canadiens rough up Devils

Dec 3, 2010 - 12:39 PM Newark, NJ (Sports Network) - Lars Eller finished with a goal and an assist while Carey Price made 27 saves, as the Montreal Canadiens routed the New Jersey Devils, 5-1, at Prudential Center.

Brian Gionta, playing against his brother -- Devils forward Stephen -- for the first time in a professional hockey game, also scored for Montreal. Scott Gomez, Benoit Pouliot and Tom Pyatt also netted goals to help the Habs get their second win against the Devils in the last 10 matchups.

New Jersey started Johan Hedberg in net, but he was pulled after giving up two goals on three shots. With Martin Brodeur still out with a bruised elbow, Mike McKenna entered and stopped a penalty shot, but ended up allowing three goals on 29 shots.

"They moved the puck through the neutral zone really well, and for whatever reason we just had a tough time controlling them coming through there," McKenna said of Montreal's pressure.

Jason Arnott scored the lone goal for the Devils, who have dropped two of three.

Montreal captain Gionta got the Habs on the board only 11 seconds into the game. Roman Hamrlik blasted a shot from the left circle and Hedberg made the save, but couldn't hang on to the puck. Gionta spotted the puck behind the goaltender and put it in the open net.

Just 87 seconds later, Eller made it a 2-0 contest. With the teams battling for possession and neither on the attack, Eller intercepted a pass through the neutral zone at center ice. He raced into the New Jersey end, got Hedberg to drop to the ice by the left post, then scored on a wraparound.

"They're waiting for you to make mistakes, so when play with the lead on them, they don't have as much patience to do that," Brian Gionta said of the Devils. "When you jump out early they have to change their game."

Hedberg was pulled in favor of McKenna after that goal. He held Montreal scoreless for the rest of the first period, and turned aside Tomas Plekanec's penalty shot at the 7:27 mark, but the Habs widened the gap later in the period.

Pyatt ripped a rebound through traffic and past McKenna at the 2:30 mark, and Gomez's power-play snap shot at 8:37 made it a 4-0 game. Pouliot netted Montreal's final goal a little more than a minute later, and Price stopped 11 shots in the period to send the Canadiens into the third with a 5-0 lead.

Arnott's tip-in 8:18 into the third broke the shutout, but Montreal cruised to the victory from there.

Game Notes

Brian Gionta is four years older than Stephen, a rookie who was playing in his 11th NHL game. Both brothers are Boston College products..The Devils were 0- for-2 on the power play, including a 5-on-3 opportunity...Montreal improved to 7-4-0 on the road.