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The Habs continued their winning ways with a 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Monday night. The win gives the Habs 13 points over the past 7 games. While the Canadiens were outshot 30-17 at home, the Devils played some tight defence to try and minimize their opponents. It was nice to see Montreal not get frustrated by the tight checking Devils, who had a strong forecheck all game to limit the Habs scoring chances. Montreal kept the pressure up after scoring goals instead of falling back into a defensive shell, which is a good strategy to follow but sometimes difficult to implement.

A sub-story to the game belonged to Martin Brodeur, who always elevates his game against the Habs in Montreal. Brodeur was playing his first game in Montreal since his father Denis passed away in September. Brodeur played an inspired game but it wasn’t enough to secure the two points.

The Habs will face the Devils again on Wednesday night in New Jersey, where the Habs will face an even tougher task of gaining at least 1 point on the road. Expect the same lineup in for Montreal unless an injured player is announced on Tuesday.

HW 3 Stars of the Night

1st Star: Max Pacioretty. When the man is hot, he’s red hot, with 8 goals in the past 7 games. He scored another goal in this one and was a threat to score again nearly every shift, even on the penalty kill when he had a partial breakaway.

2nd Star: David Desharnais. Desharnais was at his playmaking best on Monday, with two assists to help the team. David has definitely broken out of his long scoring slump with 8 points in his last 7 games. His confidence with and without the puck is really showing the past couple of weeks.

3rd Star: Carey Price. Another excellent game for Price, who kept this team in the game and handled the stronger scoring chances that New Jersey held for most of the game. His focus was tight and he managed his rebounds very well.

Honourable Mention: Rene Bourque. It’s hard to not give this guy a star, since he scored a goal and an assist. He scored a good goal on a really nice shot in the first period to tie the game. A replay later in the first period showed he was hammered cleanly into the boards by rookie defenceman Eric Gelinas. After the player the cameras showed the pain on his face as the trainer was talking him through it. In the third period he added an assist on Alex Galchenyuk’s game winning goal.