Fifth victory in a row for the Canadiens.

Tonight at the Bell centre, the Montreal Canadiens hosted the only NHL team holding a winning record against the Habs in franchise history: the Florida Panthers.

As strange as it sounds, the Panthers had a 25-22-2 record versus the Canadiens before the start of the match. They represent the only team with a winning record over the Montreal Canadiens in franchise history.

During the first period, both goaltenders kept the game scoreless. Both goaltenders, Tomas Vokoun and Jaroslav Halak did pretty good in front of their respective nets.

Then into the second period, a great pass from Andrei Markov to Saku Koivu allowed Montreal to take the lead. Koivu's goal was his 600th point as a member of the Montreal Canadiens. Jaroslav Halak faced some quality shots during the second half of the period but did not allow the Panthers to tie the game up.

But during the third period, the Panthers finally beat Halak on a rebound. Keith Ballard with his very first goal of the season tied the game at 1.

Before the end of the third frame, the Canadiens scored two more goals. Francis Bouillon who was playing his very first game of the season broke the tie with just over five minutes to play. Then into an empty net, Tomas Plekanec added the insurance goal.

Final score: Montreal Canadiens 3 - Florida Panthers 1.

Montreal continues their great start of season and will host the Anaheim Ducks Saturday night.

(Picture: Jaroslav Halak, Getty Images.)