The skinny: Andrei Markov scored two power-play goals and Alex Galchenyuk scored his first National Hockey League goal to lead the Canadiens to a 4-1 win over the Florida Panthers Tuesday night at the Bell Centre.

The kids are alright: The loudest ovation of the night came at 14:25 of the second period when Galchenyuk planted himself in front of the net and deflected Brandon Prust for his first NHL goal. Fellow rookie Brendan Gallagher picked up the second assist on the goal but it was his physical play which allowed the 5-foot-9 Gallagher to stand out. He registered four hits

Markov power: Markov's goals were his first since he scored against Vancouver on Nov. 9. 2010. The extent of his slump is misleading because, with time off for injures, Markov went only 17 games without a goal.

Something special: Markov's two goals allowed the Canadiens to win the special teams battle as they went 1-for-6 with the extra man. The power play received a boost from the appearance of Rafael Diaz on the point with Markov on the first unit. The Panthers went 1-for-8 on their power play with Tomas Kopecky scoring at 4:33 of the second period.

Bourque a presence: Rene Bourque is making good on his pledge to leave last season's disappointing performances behind. Bourque is playing a strong physical game and he made Markov's first power-play goal possible when he drove hard to the net and drew a penalty from Bryan Campbell. The power play became a 5-on-3 when Stephen Weiss was penalized for closing his over the puck, a new no-no this season.

Kovy a no-show: Alex Kovalev's return to Montreal was uneventful. The one-time crowd favorite with the Canadiens looked all of his 39 years as he managed only one shot on net and was minus-1 on the night.

Whitey to the rescue: Ryan White didn't hesitate to come to Josh Gorges' defence after Tomas Fleischmann drove Gorges' head into the glass early in the third period. The Canadiens found themselves shorthanded because, while Fleischmasnn received two minutes for boarding, White received a fighting major, a minor as the instigator and a 10-minute misconduct. The Canadiens' penalty too White off the hook by limiting Florida to one shot during the five-minute penalty which included a 1:36 stretch when Montreal was short two men following a holding penalty to Markov.

Habs salute Garneau: The Canadiens presented a pre-game video tribute to broadcaster Richard Garneau, who died on the weekend at age 82. Garneau was a fixture on Le Soiree du Hockey on Radio-Canada and covered a record 23 Olympic Games.

What's next: The Canadiens face their first road test Thursday when they play the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center (7 p.m., TSN-Canadiens, RDS, TSN 690 Radio). The Canadiens are back at the Bell Centre for a rare Sunday game against the New Jersey Devils (6 p.m., RDS, TSN 690 Radio) .