Rangers 1, Canadiens 0

Heather Engel, The Sports Xchange

MONTREAL -- Right wing Ryan Callahan scored the lone goal to give the New York Rangers a 1-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night at the Bell Centre.

Goalie Cam Talbot, making his first ever Bell Centre appearance, stopped 23 shots for the Rangers (10-9-0), who have won seven of their past nine games following their 2-0 loss to the Canadiens back on Oct. 28.

Carey Price, back in net after a night off on Friday, made 33 saves for Montreal (10-9-2). It was the Canadiens' fourth regulation loss -- and sixth overall -- in eight games thus far in November.

Montreal had its chances to open the scoring. In the first period, center David Desharnais, who scored the shootout winner against Columbus a night earlier, had nearly got his first of the season in a goalmouth scramble.

In the second, left wing Travis Moen and right wing Brian Gionta enjoyed back-to-back opportunities with the Canadiens shorthanded but couldn't get one past Talbot.

Callahan broke the scoreless tie at 5:25 of the second period when he tipped center Brad Richard's slap shot from the circle past Price, just as time expired on the first penalty on a two-man advantage for New York. The goal, Callahan's sixth of the season, was his fourth on the power play and the Rangers' first against the Canadiens this season.

After a sluggish start to the third in which the home side went nearly eight minutes without a shot on goal, Montreal started to pick up its intensity just past the midpoint of the period. The Canadiens' fourth line of center Daniel Briere, left wing Michael Bournival and Moen buzzed around the Rangers' end but the puck stayed out of the net.

NOTES: The Rangers' second-period goal was their first at Bell Centre since they scored in a 4-1 loss on Jan. 15, 2012. ... Canadiens D Alexei Emelin made his season debut after recovering from a knee injury suffered on April 6. ... RW Brendan Gallagher returned after missing Friday's game with the flu. ... The Canadiens scratched D Douglas Murray, C Ryan White and RW George Parros. ... The Rangers scratched D Michael Del Zotto and LW Brandon Mashinter. ... New York LW Rick Nash skated with the team on Saturday morning and expects to return to the lineup next week.