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Price, Canadiens pass early test vs. Lightning

Arizona Coyotes v Montreal Canadiens

MONTREAL, QC - OCTOBER 20: Alexander Radulov #47 of the Montreal Canadiens congratulates teammates Andrei Markov #79 and goaltender Carey Price #31 after defeating the Arizona Coyotes during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on October 20, 2016 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Arizona Coyotes 5-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

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A game in late-October doesn’t necessarily prove anything, but it never hurts to beat a team you consider a legitimate contender.

The Montreal Canadiens continued their hot start to 2016-17 by beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 on Thursday.

There were certain familiar ingredients, such as Carey Price looking very much like himself, stopping 30 out of 31 shots on goal. He’s now on a four-game winning streak and has only allowed six goals during that span.

Of course, even a Price-led team needs to score some goals, and it seems like a different star or two steps up each night.

Before, it was Alex Radulov and then Shea Weber. This time, Alex Galchenyuk tied things up while adding to tonight’s highlight reel of boisterous celebrations:

While Max Pacioretty slapped the decisive goal home:

Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman believed the difference was special teams, but either way, Montreal keeps generating wins (whether you call them statement games or not).