Brendan Gallagher and Jordie Benn scored in the first period as the Canadiens posted a third straight win with a 3-2 victory over the expansion Vegas Golden Knights.
Max Pacioretty also scored for Montreal (7-8-1), which has gone 5-1-0 in its last six games after starting the season 2-7-1.
Goaltender Charlie Lindgren, called up from AHL Laval last week when Carey Price suffered a lower body injury, won a second game in a row and has now won all five of his NHL starts over the last three seasons.
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Erik Huala scored for Vegas (9-5-1), which ended a six-game road trip with a 1-4-1 record.