Canadiens slow Jets

The Montreal Canadiens came up with a huge win on Saturday night in a 3-1 decision over the Jets in Winnipeg.

Carey Price made 23 saves to backstop a tight affair until Jordan Weal sealed it with an empty-not goal late.

Carey Price got the win for the Canadiens  – file photo by Lewis Bleiman

“That was a full 60-minute effort,” Weal said. “You kind of saw that through the shot count throughout the game, limiting their O-zone time and creating a lot for ourselves. We were a little bit disappointed after the last one, of course, we played hard for half the game and it just slipped away from us.”

The Habs remain tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Meanwhile, the Jets are still tied with the Nashville Predators for the Central Division top spot; the Predators lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-2, on home ice.

“Well, we’re trying to win a Central Division,” Jets forward Blake Wheeler said. “It might come as a surprise but those guys get paid too. They’re NHL players, so as bad as we want to blow everyone out of our building and beat them 5-0, it’s not reality sometimes. It’s not easy for us right now. Facing some adversity right now. We’re going to be a better team once we get through it.”

Matthieu Perreault had the Jets’ lone goal.

“They’re a desperate team and that was a playoff-type of game,” Wheeler said. “We’re going to have to get used to playing that type of game.”

Joel Armia and Jeff Petry also scored for the Canadiens.

“I thought right from the get-go we were prepared and made good, solid passes, good decisions,” Canadiens head coach Claude Julien said. “Our defensive game was really good. Our [defensemen] were doing a great job of really having a tight gap and forcing them not to come in easily on the rush.”

[WATCH: All Canadiens vs. Jets highlights]

Connor Hellebuyck made 41 saves in the loss.

“We just need to dig a little deeper here,” Hellebuyck said. “We’re right in it. Real close. Going to continue grinding, wear teams away and get that extra one or that extra block or that extra stop that’s going to win us these games.”