Canadiens claim first division title in 16 years

Price stops 32 shots as Montreal blanks slumping Ottawa to win Northeast

OTTAWA - The Montreal Canadiens have been waiting a long time to return to the top of their division, almost their rookie goalie’s entire life.

Carey Price made 32 saves for his third shutout and Alex Kovalev scored his 35th goal as Montreal claimed its first division title in 16 years with a 3-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

Mathieu Dandenault and Andrei Kostitsyn also scored for the Canadiens, who secured the Northeast Division title with 100 points.

Price, who improved to 22-12-3 overall, was 4 years old when Montreal won its last division title in 1991-92. The 20-year-old has started 13 of 17 games since he became the Canadiens’ No. 1 goalie when Cristobal Huet was sent to Washington at the trading deadline.

“I think everything that we’ve thrown at him, he’s responded very well,” coach Guy Carbonneau said. “He did the same thing in junior, he did the same thing last year in the American (Hockey) League, he seems to get better when the pressure’s on and the games are important.”

Read more at NBC Sports