Price is too much for the Stars

DALLAS // The Price was right for the Montreal Canadiens as they beat the Dallas Stars 3-1 to move into fifth place in the tight Eastern Conference race. The netminder Carey Price had a solid night for the Canadiens as he saved eight shots in the second period and 14 in the third to end the game with 30 stops. Loui Eriksson put Dallas ahead on a two-man advantage with the game less than five minutes old before Andrei Kostitsyn and Alex Kovalev gave the Habs a 2-1 lead.

Christopher Higgins wrapped up the win with a third-period goal. The Stars, battling for a Western Conference play-off spot, have now lost six in a row at home. Kostitsyn, taking advantage of a lucky bounce, levelled the score five minutes into the second period and Kovalev made it a 2-1 game almost 10 minutes later. Higgins scored 5:27 into the third after the Dallas netminder Marty Turco went behind the net but failed to control the puck. Higgins got it along the boards and drilled it into an empty net.

Turco had 16 saves for Dallas who, along with Edmonton and Nashville have 70 points in the race for the West's final two play-off spots. * With agencies