Canadiens 5, Islanders 2: Defenseman P.K. Subban scored twice as visiting Montreal recorded three goals in the third period to skate past New York.

Rookie Brendan Gallagher, captain Brian Gionta and Michael Ryder also tallied and Carey Price made 25 saves for the Canadiens, who avoided a season sweep at the hands of the Islanders.

John Tavares and defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky scored and Kevin Poulin stopped 24 shots for New York, which has lost two in a row at home to drop to 5-3-1 this month.

Gionta snapped a 2-2 tie 48 seconds into the third period, tipping a shot by David Desharnais past Poulin. Subban’s centering attempt deflected off Islanders captain Mark Streit's stick midway through the session and Gallagher was credited with a goal 33 seconds later as his backhand shot initially was stopped by Poulin, who inadvertently kicked the puck into the net when Visnovsky tried to clear it.

Desharnais, Max Pacioretty and Tomas Plekanec each registered two assists for Montreal, which improved to 14-1-4 in its last 19 games. The Canadiens finished 2-for-4 on the power play, while New York failed to score on its four opportunities with the man advantage.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Islanders defeated the Canadiens 4-3 in overtime at Montreal on Feb. 21 and 6-3 at home on March 5. … New York RW Michael Grabner returned to the lineup after missing three games with a shoulder injury and finished with a shot on goal and two penalty minutes. … Subban totaled three goals and two assists in the season series against the Islanders.