Montreal, QC (My Sportsbook) - Michael Ryder continues to haunt his former club, netting the game-winner late in the second period, as the Boston Bruins grabbed a stranglehold of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with a 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre.

Phil Kessel, Shawn Thornton and Chuck Kobasew also scored for the top-seeded Bruins, who have won the first three games of this best-of-seven series and will look to complete the sweep Wednesday in Montreal.

"It was a big game for them, but we had to make sure we didn't give things away," Ryder said. "I think in the third (period) we played smart and didn't give them much. Even though it's my old team, it's good to get this win."

Tim Thomas earned the victory with a 23-save effort for Boston, which has not topped Montreal in a playoff series since 1994 and last swept the Habs in a four-game triumph in 1992.

Chris Higgins and Yannick Weber found the net for the eighth-seeded Canadiens, who have dropped their last seven playoff games since winning Game 1 against Philadelphia in last year's conference semifinals.

Carey Price, back between the pipes after getting pulled in Saturday's 5-1 setback, made 26 stops in defeat.

Less than a minute after teammate Marc Savard rang a shot off the post, Ryder provided a 3-2 lead for Boston. Price repelled Bruins defenseman Dennis Wideman's blast from the point, but the juicy rebound went right to the ex- Canadien and he buried it into the yawning cage with 2:39 left in the second period.

The Habs failed to convert a power play in the third period, and Kobasew's empty-net marker cemented the win with 37 seconds left in regulation.

"We came out hard with great intensity over the first 15 minutes and had some chances," said Montreal captain Saku Koivu.

Montreal had the early pressure and was buzzing around the Bruins net, feeding off the energy of its passionate fans, but a slashing penalty against Habs forward Andrei Kostitsyn quashed the momentum and gave Boston's potent power play, which scored three times in Game 2, a chance to take the lead. Price, though, was up to the task, kicking out a bid from Kobasew.

After trailing throughout the first two games of the series, Higgins gave the Habs their first lead with 8:08 to play in the opening frame. The former first-round pick skated down the left wing, drifted into the faceoff circle and fired a wrister that snuck under the left arm of Thomas.

Boston capitalized on a misplay by Montreal in its own end to draw even. Wideman was able to keep the puck in at the right point and launched a shot that deflected off Kessel meandering through the slot with 1:25 remaining in the first period.

"We weathered that storm and it was good that we came out of the first tied," Thomas said. "That was big for us, but it doesn't mean anything if you don't continue to play well. We picked (our play) up after the first period and, in the third, we played phenomenal."

The visitors went up 2-1 at the 3:36 mark of the middle stanza. Byron Bitz, playing in place of suspended Bruins forward Milan Lucic, sent a pass from the left corner to an uncovered Thornton, who snapped a shot from the slot that beat Price on the blocker side.

Lucic observed the contest from the press box, serving a one-game suspension for being assessed a match penalty late in the third period of Game 2.

Montreal tied the game 1:40 later on a tally by Weber. Glen Metropolit won a faceoff back to the untested backliner and his snap shot from the top of the right circle made its way through traffic and slipped between Thomas' pads.

Game Notes

Wideman posted a pair of assists for the Bruins...Montreal was without defenseman Mathieu Schneider and left wing Alex Tanguay because both were sidelined by upper-body injuries...The Habs have taken 24 of the 31 postseason series between the Original Six rivals, including the last three meetings (2002, 2004, 2008)...Habs forward Tomas Plekanec and defenseman Roman Hamrlik were each minus-three...The Bruins have not won a playoff series since 1999 when they defeated Carolina in six games in the opening round.