(AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Graham Hughes)

Bruins win fourth straight over Canadiens, 3-1

MONTREAL (AP) Everything is back to normal for Tim Thomas at the Bell Centre.

Denis Wideman, Shawn Thornton and Marc Savard scored and Thomas made 27 saves to lead the Boston Bruins to a 3-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday.

The Boston goalie drew cheers one week earlier in the NHL All-Star game in Montreal after leading the Eastern Conference squad to a 12-11 shootout win.

"When I got called out for the first star there, they were booing and that's the way it should be," Thomas said. "That's what rivalries are all about."

The Bruins beat their Northeast Division rival for the fourth time in a row, improving to 4-1 this season against the Canadiens.

Wideman scored with 0.6 seconds remaining in the first period to tie the game 1-1. The Bruins defenseman got his 11th goal when he moved up in the slot to beat Carey Price with a wrist shot into the top left corner.

Thornton got credit for his fifth goal 8:02 into the second.

"I just snapped it and honestly there were a lot of bodies there and I don't know where it went or if it went off anybody," Thornton said.

Savard scored into an empty net with 56.5 seconds remaining to extend his points streak to eight games.

Boston, which beat the New York Rangers 1-0 on Saturday, has recorded points in six straight games and has lost only once in regulation in its last 11 (8-1-2).

"We've had young kids this year that have come of age, we've had some key additions to the team, we've had guys step up when other players were injured, and then we've had veteran players that have raised their game," Thomas said. "And the coaches have done a great job - all the work they've put in from 10 different areas has started to pay off."

The Canadiens have lost five of six.

"It was a pretty even game for both sides for the whole 60 minutes, but I think a lesson that we got today was the way they played defensively and the way they play a system," Montreal captain Saku Koivu said.

Robert Lang, who scored Montreal's only goal on a power play late in the first period, left the game midway through the third after he suffered a cut left Achilles' tendon.

Price made 19 saves for the Canadiens.

Montreal, which was on an 11-1-2 run prior to its current skid, is second in the Northeast with 62 points, 18 behind the Bruins, who lead the Eastern Conference.

"We all know the way they've played so far this season that they have a lot of talent and they can score a lot of goals," Koivu said. "But on nights that it's not an offensive-minded game, then they don't make a lot of mistakes and every one of their players makes sure that the puck is deep and they take care of their zone first."

The Canadiens wore "barber pole" retro jerseys and socks featuring the distinctive look of narrow red, white and blue horizontal bands used by the team in 1912-13.

"I was really concerned about it in warmup," Thornton said. "When there were 23 guys skating around, I was dizzy and I didn't know if I got enough sleep or what. It wasn't as bad once there were five guys out there."

Thornton got a fighting major 1:06 in for his bout with Montreal defenseman Alex Henry, who made his Canadiens debut. Henry was recalled from Hamilton of the AHL earlier in the day as Josh Gorges was held out of the lineup.

Gorges was forced to leave Saturday's 4-3 win over Los Angeles after he took a blow to the head earlier in the game when he was charged by Kings defenseman Denis Gauthier, who was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct for the hit.

Lang opened the scoring with his 18th goal 18:18 in. The Czech center beat Thomas with a shot into the top right corner.

Lang left the game 9:33 into the third period, favoring his left leg as he was helped off the ice after he checked Stephane Yelle along the boards.

Canadiens left wing Guillaume Latendresse was also helped off the ice after he fell heavily into the boards in the right corner after he was checked by Chuck Kobasew deep in Montreal's zone.

Notes: Wideman extended his points streak to six games. He has three goals and three assists over that span. ... Henry made his first NHL appearance since 2005-06, his second season with Minnesota. ... The Canadiens' retro jerseys feature a white maple leaf logo on the front with "CAC" - for Club Ahletique Canadien - printed inside in blue. They were the fourth style of uniform worn by the franchise, which was a founding member of the National Hockey Association, the NHL's predecessor.

Updated February 1, 2009