Montreal had a 1-0 lead when Dagenais got position in front of the net and put in a rebound of Richard Zednik's shot for his fifth goal of the season. Goaltender Byron Dafoe tried to cover the puck, but Dagenais beat him to it.

Theodore lost his shutout bid on Ronald Petrovicky's shot through traffic midway through the second period, but he made 13 saves in the third period as the Canadiens avoided a third straight loss.

Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk was held without a goal for the fourth straight game and the Thrashers fell to 2-9-2 when he does not score. They have dropped two in a row following a three-game winning streak.