NHL: Boston 4, Montreal 2

MONTREAL, April 20 (UPI) -- Michael Ryder scored the key goal Monday to lead Boston to a 4-2 win over Montreal and give the Bruins a 3-0 edge in their Eastern quarterfinal series.

Phil Kessel, Shawn Thornton and Chuck Kobasew also scored for the top-seeded Bruins, who have won the first three games of this best-of-seven series and will try to complete the sweep Wednesday in Montreal.

Tim Thomas had 23 saves for Boston, which has not taken a playoff series from Montreal since 1994.

Chris Higgins and Yannick Weber scored for the Canadiens, who have lost their last seven playoff games since winning Game 1 against Philadelphia in last year's conference semifinals.

Montreal goalie Carey Price had 26 saves.