NEWARK, N.J. -- Alex Galchenyuk didn't understand why it was a big deal. Coach Michel Therrien demoted him to the third line after a few subpar games and people wanted to know about the 22-year-old's confidence and whether he had lost his game.

Galchenyuk showed he's just fine.

The gifted center had a goal and two assists as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-1 on Friday night at Prudential Center.

Galchenyuk missed 18 games with a lower-body injury and scored in his return to the lineup against the New York Rangers on Jan. 18. But he was practically invisible in the two games that followed, so Therrien decided to take some pressure off the still-developing player.

It worked.

"It's funny. I think we made such a big deal out of if I lost my game and stuff like that," said Galchenyuk, who was named the game's first star by the attending media. "I knew going out there, just play my game. Last game, we didn't get a lot of scoring opportunities and as a team we weren't satisfied and we knew we were going to bounce back. We worked on the power play a lot and it definitely paid off."

All three goals by the Canadiens came on the power play with Alexander Radulov assisting on all of them.

With the score tied at 1 early in the third period, Shea Weber and Max Pacioretty scored during a major penalty that turned a chess match into what felt like a massive two-goal lead for Montreal.

And it was Galchenyuk that helped set up both goals.

"There's no doubt that he's a good player," Radulov said. "He's a strong player. The guy missed eight weeks. I don't think you expect him to jump out there and start scoring. It's going to take some time.

"I know how it feels to get hurt during the season and miss some time. It's hard to come back. We have to help him and make sure he feels comfortable."

The goals by Weber and Pacioretty that proved to be the difference were after a five-minute penalty assessed to Devils defenseman Karl Stollery for boarding Nathan Beaulieu. Torrey Mitchell received a roughing penalty from the scrum that followed, but the Habs were able to convert twice during the three-minute power play.

The Devils were furious with the call against Stollery and felt at most it warranted a two-minute penalty.

"I would agree with that," Devils coach John Hynes said. "Referee made the call of the game. He saw it live. That was his decision. We got to able to find a way to kill it."

"I'm going in to finish the play and (Beaulieu) turns up," Stollery said of the game-changing play. "I'd like to let up a little bit more if it happened again, but it's one of those things that happens quick."

Before that penalty, Devils goaltender Keith Kinkaid (23 saves) and Canadiens goaltender Al Montoya (16 saves) were involved in a duel that required little effort on their parts. Montoya didn't face his fourth shot until there was a little more than six minutes remaining in the second period.

"I'll take this any night," said Montoya, who has won his past four starts. "Your team is playing fantastic in front of you. Halfway through the game, it's 1-1. All I'm really focused on is making that next save. It was only a matter of time before we got our chances and capitalized."

The Canadiens scored three straight goals after Devils defenseman Steven Santini opened the scoring four minutes into the first period. Galchenyuk tied it 1:14 later and after that the Canadiens just stayed patient and prevented the Devils from doing anything dangerous on offense.

"We talked about it in between periods," Weber said. "We just wanted to keep playing the way we were, not cheating and making sure we were solid defensively. We knew we'd be able to get our chances and convert."

NOTES: Canadiens G Carey Price is expected to start at home Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres. ... Canadiens C Phillip Danault played in his 100th NHL game. ... Devils G Cory Schneider (illness) wasn't healthy enough to start but served as the backup. ... New Jersey D Andy Greene (hand) missed his eighth consecutive game and is still skating on his own. Coach John Hynes said he won't play Saturday on the road against the Flyers. ... Devils C Vernon Fiddler (lower body) sat for the 12th straight game although he practiced with the team Thursday. He could play against the Flyers.