NHL: Montreal 2, Los Angeles 1

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Carey Price turned aside 26-of-27 shots and the Montreal Canadiens used a tough defense Saturday to edge Los Angeles 2-1.

Price allowed only one power-play goal and benefited from 15 blocked shots by Montreal defenders as the Habs snapped a four-game losing streak and wrapped up a three-contest West Coast road trip with the win.

Tomas Plekanec tallied a power-play goal late in the first period and Andrei Kostitsyn made it 2-0 with a marker midway through the second for Montreal, which beat the Kings for the seventh straight time dating back to 2003.

Dustin Penner returned from a hand injury to collect his first goal of the year and Jonathan Bernier made 25 saves for Los Angeles.