NHL: Montreal 3, Pittsburgh 2

Andrei Kostitsyn’s first NHL hat trick accounted for all of Montreal’s scoring Saturday night when the Canadiens beat Pittsburgh 3-2.

Carey Price stopped 34 shots — 17 in the third period — and the Canadiens opened a four-game road trip with a win, their third in four games overall.

Tomas Plekanec assisted on two of Kostitsyn’s goals.

Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis scored goals and Marc-Andre Fleury allowed three goals on 19 shots for the Penguins, who have lost five of their last nine games and are just 5-7-1 in December.

Kostitsyn opened the scoring at 1:15 of the first period and Dupuis tied it at 1-1 with 5:16 left in the first. Montreal went up 2-1 just before the end of the first on Kostitsyn’s second goal.

Kostitsyn completed the hat trick at 2:21 of the third period — when the Penguins failed to cash in on three power-play chances.