SUNRISE, Fla. -- On Thanksgiving Day, the Florida Panthers trailed the first-place Montreal Canadiens by 16 points in the Atlantic Division.

The Panthers are 13-3-0 since, including a 3-1 victory over the Canadiens on Tuesday at the BB&T Center.

In 10 of those wins, the Panthers allowed one goal or less, which explains how Florida has overtaken Montreal, grabbing first place Tuesday.

Center Aleksander Barkov scored two goals -- the second game in a row he has accomplished that feat -- and added an assist, and right winger Jaromir Jagr had the game-winning goal in the second period.

"It's a lot of fun to play with (Jagr)," said Barkov, who has 11 goals and plays on an impressive line that also includes center Jonathan Huberdeau. "It's a blessing. I'm enjoying every second."

The Panthers (21-12-4) are all enjoying themselves. They earned 22 points with an 11-3-0 December, setting a club record for their most productive month. The Panthers also tied a club mark with their seventh straight victory.

"We played against a really good hockey team," Montreal coach Michel Therrien said. "They've come to their maturity. We were not capable of defending their top line. They were the better team."

This is the latest the Panthers have been in first since 2011, when they earned their only division title.

"It's fun playing hockey right now," said Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo, who made 29 saves. "We believe in ourselves as a group. We're playing good hockey."

Luongo has won six straight games and has allowed a total of nine goals during that span.

"I don't think I had that many scoring chances against me," said Luongo, crediting his defensemen and his forwards. "It was one of our best games of the year I thought."

Montreal (21-15-3) lost their 11th game in December, the worst month in the long and glorious history of the Canadiens franchise.

The Canadiens got a goal from left winger Max Pacioretty and also received impressive work from goalie Ben Scrivens (27 saves), who made his Montreal debut after being acquired in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.

"I think we made it harder on ourselves because of a lack of execution," Pacioretty said. "(Florida) did a good job on their breakouts. They made the simple plays. They're really hot right now."

Montreal caught the first break when Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad's stick broke on a pass. He played the puck with his skate while holding the stick, which is a penalty.

The Canadiens cashed in on Pacioretty 15th goal of the season, which came with 7:21 left in the first period. Pacioretty picked up a loose puck in front and beat a sprawling Luongo to the glove side.

Florida tied Montreal 1-1 on a power-play goal by Barkov with 3:32 left in the first period. There was one second left with the man advantage when Barkov converted.

Barkov, positioned in front of the net, took a pass from defenseman Dmitry Kulikov and scored, making Montreal pay for a holding penalty on center Lars Eller.

"He doesn't say much, but he's in the right spot always," Kulikov said of the quiet Barkov. "It's easy to find him. When he's open like that, you want to give him the puck because you know he's going to (score)."

Florida took a 2-1 lead with 16:44 left in the second period. The Panthers had a 3-on-2 rush and Huberdeau made a cross-ice pass to Jagr, who was in alone on Scrivens for his 11th goal of the season.

With 11:07 left in the game, Barkov made it 3-1. Defenseman Erik Gudbranson got the primary assist and Huberdeau picked up his second point.

"Everyone knew this was a big game -- we were playing for the first spot in the division," Kulikov said. "Everyone came prepared. We are playing with swagger.

"We wanted to make it a good one for the last game of the (calendar) year."

NOTES: Up next for Montreal is Friday's Winter Classic outdoor game against the host Boston Bruins at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. It will be Montreal's first experience in a Winter Classic. ... Montreal is still without G Carey Price (right knee), D Tom Gilbert (upper body) and RW Brendan Gallagher (broken fingers). ... Panthers C Nick Bjugstad, who has been out since Nov. 30 due to migraines, had his first full practice on Monday and could be nearing a return. ... Panthers D Steven Kampfer (knee) sat out. ... Florida also scratched C Dave Bolland and LW Shawn Thornton. ... Panthers D Aaron Ekblad said his team's excellent December is "no fluke -- we've been playing well for over a month."