MONTREAL — Linemates Lars Eller, Erik Cole and Alex Galchenyuk each scored as the Canadiens defeated the New York Rangers 3-0 Saturday night at the Bell Centre.

The line’s offensive output supported a strong defensive effort that saw Carey Price register his second shutout of the season. He had some help as the Canadiens limited the Rangers to 17 shots. It was the fourth time in the past five games that Montreal has limited the opposition to fewer than 20 shots.

“It’s a demanding style, but that’s the way we want to play,” said head coach Michel Therrien.  

The win gave the Canadiens 13 of a possible 14 points over their last seven games and they claimed sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference with 26 points, two more than New Jersey and Pittsburgh. It was the third consecutive loss for the Rangers, who dropped into ninth place in the East. 

The Eller line broke open a tight game with three goals in the second period.

Cole opened the scoring at 1:20 after Eller’s attempt to rim the puck was deflected behind the net and came out to Cole in the slot. He beat Martin Biron for his third goal of the season.

Galchenyuk noted his third at 13:36 after taking a drop pass from Eller and going hard to the net. Rangers defenceman Dan Girardi got his stick on the shot, but it bounced over him. There was a video review to determine whether Eller hit the puck with a high stick as it went into the net, but the replay showed there was no contact.

“I was glad I didn’t touch it because it might have been a high stick,” Eller said.

Eller capped off the period with a power-play goal at 19:34. He connected on a shot from the high slot after a pass from Galchenyuk. 

Eller revealed he has been helped by sports psychologist Sylvain Guimond. “People don’t realize how important it is to be in the right frame of mind.”   

In the first period, the teams picked up where they left off Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. The pace was a bit quicker, but there were no goals in an opening period that saw the Rangers outshoot the Canadiens 6-3.

 Brendan Gallagher returned to the lineup after a three-game absence because of a concussion. He replaced Rene Bourque, who was out with the flu. The Rangers lost defenceman Ryan McDonagh, who left the game in the second after being hit by Max Pacioretty, and Girardi, who was hit in the foot by a puck with 1:20 to play. 

The Canadiens play seven of their next eight games on the road, starting with two games against Northeast Division rivals. They are in Ottawa on Monday (7:30 p.m., TSN-Habs, RDS, TSN 690-Radio) and in Toronto on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., TSN, RDS, TSN 690-Radio). They return to the Bell Centre on Saturday to play Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

phickey@montrealgazette.com

Twitter:@zababes1