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Newf
11-25-2009, 03:34 AM
MONTREAL -- Marc-Andre Bergeron's second goal of the game was the winner Tuesday as the injury-riddled Montreal Canadiens scored three times in the third period for a 5-3 comeback win against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Mike Cammalleri, Glen Metropolit and Maxim Lapierre also scored for Montreal, while Tomas Plekanec had two assists for the Canadiens (12-11-1), who were missing seven regulars due to injury and another because of suspension.

Antoine Vermette scored twice and Anton Stralman also had a goal for the Blue Jackets (12-8-3), who are 1-2-1 on their season-high five-game road trip.

Rick Nash had two assists for Columbus, ending his only pointless streak of the season at two games.

Carey Price made 33 saves for the Canadiens, including 25 through the first two periods to give his team a chance for only its second third-period comeback win of the season.

It was the first time in six starts that Price allowed three goals, but he still improved his record over that stretch to 4-1-1 with a .938 save percentage and 2.11 goals-against average.

Blue Jackets netminder Mathieu Garon allowed all five goals on 29 shots. Columbus has now allowed 16 goals on 110 shots and is winless over its last three games

Plekanec and Kostitsyn each extended their point streaks to four games as the Canadiens scored five goals for the first time in 14 contests.

Sergei Kostitsyn got an assist in his season debut for the Habs after being recalled from the American Hockey League's Hamilton Bulldogs on Monday.

The Blue Jackets lost 7-4 to the Rangers on Monday night and the Canadiens took advantage of a wearied opponent to erase a 3-2 deficit with three goals in the third.

Metropolit got his fifth of the season at 2:18 of the final period, jamming home a rebound off a Roman Hamrlik point shot to tie the game 3-3.

Bergeron gave the Canadiens the lead 4-3 at 4:56 after a wild scramble in front of the Columbus net, fanning on his shot but beating a down and out Garon for his fifth of the season.

Lapierre added the insurance marker when he kept the puck on a 2-on-1 and beat Garon with a wrist shot to the far post at 15:25. His second of the year gave Montreal a 5-3 lead.

The Canadiens opened the scoring on Cammalleri's team-leading 12th of the season, a wrist shot from the top of the circle that fooled Garon at 5:50 of the first.

But the lead lasted less than a minute as Nash made an incredible blind spin pass through the slot to Vermette, who had a wide open net to shoot at for his fifth of the year at 6:36.

The lethal Blue Jackets power play made quick work of their first opportunity, needing only seven seconds after a Josh Gorges penalty for Stralman to score his fourth of the season at 8:12

Montreal tied it again at 9:30 of the second as Bergeron's weak wrister from the point got tipped in front by Columbus defenceman Rostislav Klesla and beat Garon.

But Montreal's Travis Moen took a roughing penalty less than a minute later, going after Nash for an uncalled hit from behind. Columbus capitalized when Vermette beat Price with a low wrist shot to the far side at 11:46 to make it 3-2.

Notes: The Canadiens were without C Scott Gomez and D Jaroslav Spacek, both out with lower body injuries. It was Gomez's second missed game with what is believed to be a groin injury, while it was Spacek's first. They join injured Canadiens Andrei Markov (foot), Hal Gill (foot), Brian Gionta (foot), Matt D'Agostini (concussion) and newly-acquired Benoit Pouliot (wrist). ... Georges Laraque served the first game of his five-game suspension for kneeing Detroit's Niklas Kronwall on Saturday. The missing players represent US$26.1 million in salary, or 44 per cent on Montreal's payroll. a Columbus D Marc Methot was a healthy scratch for the first time this season for Columbus, replaced by D Kris Russell. Tom Sestito was also scratched by the Blue Jackets.