Canadiens 3, Rangers 0: Carey Price continued his mastery of New York at the Bell Centre by turning aside 34 shots to extend his shutout streak to 252 minutes, 45 seconds as Montreal posted its eighth consecutive home victory over the Rangers.

Michael Ryder scored his eighth goal in as many outings and defenseman P.K. Subban registered three assists. Rookie Brendan Gallagher scored for the second time in as many games and Tomas Plekanec added a goal as the Northeast Division-leading Canadiens moved three points ahead of Boston, which dropped a 3-1 decision to Philadelphia earlier on Saturday.

Martin Biron finished with 23 saves for New York, which also suffered a 3-0 loss to Ottawa on Thursday and has been shut out five times in 2013. The Rangers, who have a league-low 78 goals, fell to 3-6-1 in their last 10 games.

After stopping all 17 shots he faced in a 3-0 win over the Rangers on Feb. 23, Price was just as dominant on Saturday en route to his 19th career shutout - and third in 2013. Price made 17 saves in the first period, eight in the second and nine the third.

Ryder provided Price all the offense he would need just 47 seconds into the contest. Ryder's dump-in caromed off the end boards and right into the slot where he collected his own rebound and beat Biron between the pads for his 13th goal.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Rangers yielded a power-play goal for the sixth straight contest and eighth in nine outings when Gallagher chipped a loose puck over Biron at 11:02 of the second period. ... Montreal D Nathan Beaulieu, who is the 17th overall pick in the 2011 draft, made his NHL debut on Saturday. He logged over 17 minutes of ice time. ... New York RW Mats Zuccarello made his season debut and registered a team-high six hits.