MONTREAL - Though nobody had their money on Hamrlik, you would be hard-pressed to find a Canadien displeased with the fact that he broke a 199-minute goal drought at the Bell Centre last night.

Lost in the Bell Centre's deafening roar was Atlanta's concentration, as Mathieu Darche scored his 10th goal of the season just :11 after Hamrlik wiped the sweat off his team's worried brow.

For a team desperate for offence, Carey Price and the defence took care of their end, fighting off two quality chances within the first couple minutes of the game. One can only imagine how much more daunting the task may have been had Montreal fed Atlanta an early lead in this one, especially since the Canadiens couldn't capitalize on their first few scoring chances-- golden opportunities for Wisniewski, Cammalleri and Gomez.

When all was said and done, the Canadiens halted their losing streak to three games and had it not been for a botched call in the third period, Price would've stamped the victory with an authoritative shutout-- his 9th one of the season.


No Secret to Scoring

There was no coincidence about how the Canadiens managed to break their longest goal-drought since 1928. They don't call it the goalmouth for no reason.

The team's willingness to play in the areas of the ice that reap rewards ensured victory and provided a valuable lesson moving forward--especially to the primary players of the Canadiens.

It's good that Hamrlik, Darche and Kostitsyn were the ones to get the Canadiens on the scoresheet, but if they're going to continue to win games, it'll be because Gionta, Cammalleri, Plekanec and Gomez follow those leads.


Game in Carolina Worth More than Two Points

The Hurricanes kept their playoff hopes alive last night, with a 3-2 shootout win over the Capitals, but a loss to the Canadiens in regulation would be a stake right through their heart as the regular season winds down.

If anything, it widens the opportunity for Toronto to battle it out with Carolina and Buffalo for the final playoff spot, naturally alleviating the Canadiens and Rangers of significant pressure to clinch playoff berths.

You can expect Price in nets, and a win will enable the Canadiens to give him some much needed rest ahead of the post-season.

Game starts at 7:08pm.