Ryder continues to pay off as Canadiens best Jets
MONTREAL -- Trading early for Michael Ryder keeps on paying dividends for the Montreal Canadiens.
Ryder scored twice and added an assist and Montreal extended Winnipeg's losing streak to five with a 4-1 win over the Jets on Thursday night.
Brian Gionta scored the Canadiens' second power-play goal and Alex Galchenyuk got his first goal in 19 games.
Peter Budaj made 33 saves for Montreal, which bounced back after losing 5-3 in Philadelphia on Wednesday night. Montreal has won four of their past five games.
"It was a good effort pretty much throughout," said Gionta, who assisted on Ryder's power-play goal midway through the first. "I thought we played a solid game and definitely after last night's game, it was much better."
The Canadiens lead the Northeast Division with 53 points, one more than Boston, which beat New Jersey.
"We knew we had to come out strong and try to bounce back, and I think we did that," said Ryder, who was acquired in a Feb. 26 trade with Dallas that sent Erik Cole to the Stars. "It shows the character of this team and what we have in here."
Alexander Burmistrov scored in the first and Ondrej Pavelec stopped 19 shots for Winnipeg, which lost sole possession of first place in the Southeast Division.
"That was not what I was looking for," Burmistrov said. "We're looking for a win right now and we're battling for a playoff spot, so I don't care if I score or not."
The Jets, who remained at 38 points, are now tied with Washington, which beat the New York Islanders in a shootout.
"We know that if we continue down this road, it isn't good," Jets coach Claude Noel said. "That's why there's urgency. We're running out of games. We know that."
Burmistrov gave Winnipeg a 1-0 lead with his fourth goal 8:16 in.
Ryder drew Montreal even at 1 with a power-play goal midway through the first. He got his 14th goal when he put a rebound of Gionta's shot into an open left side.
The Canadiens took a 2-1 lead on Ryder's second of the game 2:03 into the second. Ryder snapped a loose puck past Pavelec for his 15th goal.
Gionta made it a two-goal lead when he got credit for his 11th at 5:51. Lars Eller got his second assist when his shot from the right side went in off the Montreal captain.
Winnipeg had a potential power-play goal waved off 52 seconds into the third when Jets forward Blake Wheeler came into contact with Budaj.
"All I heard is what everybody else heard, that there was a man in the crease," Noel said. "By looking at the Jumbotron it looked like Wheeler was in the crease."
Ryder got his third point of the game with an assist on Galchenyuk's fourth goal at 7:43. It was the 19-year-old rookie's first tally since Feb. 23.
Winnipeg's Evander Kane and Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin got fighting majors at 16:16.
NOTES: Jets center Nik Antropov is out for at least two weeks. He suffered a lower-body injury Tuesday night. ... Winnipeg defenseman Grant Clitsome returned to the lineup after missing Tuesday night's game because of an eye injury. ... Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec missed the game because of a lower-body injury he suffered Wednesday night. Plekanec was fourth in team scoring through Wednesday with 27 points, including 13 goals and 14 assists. ... Montreal left wing Rene Bourque missed his 20th straight game because of a concussion. Defenseman Raphael Diaz, who is also out with a concussion, has missed 18 games in a row. Diaz has resumed skating on his own.
