BOSTON – It doesn’t matter who is coaching the Canadiens or how many points separate them from Boston in the standings, the Bruins never take it easy against Montreal.

David Krejci scored off his skate to break a second-period tie, and Tim Thomas stopped 33 shots on Monday night to lead Boston to a 3-2 victory over the slumping Canadiens. Montreal lost its third straight game — two of them since firing Coach Jacques Martin and replacing him with Randy Cunneyworth.

Additional Photos

Brad Marchand gets congratulated by players on the Bruins’ bench after scoring in the third period Monday night in Boston. The Bruins won 3-2 over the Montreal Canadiens. The Associated Press

Chris Kelly of the Bruins gets help from Zdeno Chara in keeping Montreal’s Max Pacioretty away from the puck Monday night in Boston. The Bruins won 3-2, their 19th win in 22 games. The Associated Press

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“It’s like a wounded animal,” said Bruins forward Andrew Ference, who assisted on Krejci’s goal. “They become pretty dangerous when they’re backed into a corner.

“You don’t take people for granted. Fired coach or not, you prepare for every team like they’re dangerous, because that’s the reality.”

Benoit Pouliot and Brad Marchand also scored for the Bruins, who have won 19 of 22 since losing back-to-back games to Montreal at the end of October.

“I don’t even look at the standings,” said Thomas, the defending Vezina and Conn Smythe Trophy winner. “I don’t think too much about who the coach is and who the coach isn’t. That’s a distraction.”

Carey Price made 28 saves and Tomas Plekanec scored for the Canadiens, who have lost 9 of 12.

“Whoever’s on the bench it’s always tough to lose two games,” Plekanec said. “And it’s not fun at all.”

Boston led 3-1 when Montreal pulled Price and cut the deficit to one.

After a turnover in the Boston zone, David Desharnais shot from the right circle and Erik Cole tipped it past Thomas. The Canadiens, again with a six-on-five, put pressure on for the final minute but Chris Campoli’s shot on an outnumbered Thomas hit a Montreal player in front.

Dennis Seidenberg hit the post of the empty net with less than a second to play.

The Bruins took the lead with 7:47 left in the first period when Rich Peverley won a faceoff and moved in on Price. He slid it across the slot to Pouliot, who also broke for the net off the faceoff and redirected the puck into the net.

But Montreal scored just 73 seconds later when Michael Cammalleri backhanded a pass through two Bruins in front of the net and found Plekanec for the goal.

It stayed that way until early in the second period when Ference centered the puck and Krejci, sliding toward the crease, gave it a nudge into the net. The play was reviewed, but the goal stood.

The Bruins made it 3-1 with just under six minutes left when Patrice Bergeron forced a turnover at the Canadiens’ blue line and Tyler Seguin picked up the puck in the zone. He found Marchand all alone in front of the net for a backhanded, falling-down wrist shot for his 12th goal of the season.

“It’s important that we make fewer mistakes,” Cunneyworth said. “The few mistakes we did make were costly and you can’t make them against a team like Boston.”

MILAN LUCIC sat out the game because he was suspended without pay by the NHL for hitting Flyers forward Zac Rinaldo from behind and into the boards in the second period of a 6-0 win on Saturday.

“I think it’s good that it’s in the back of players’ mind now that the NHL just isn’t a place to just be running around recklessly anymore, and I think it’s a good thing,” he said. “It’s good to see that they’re aware to keep the game safer and try to take head injuries ultimately out of the game.”

But he said he was trying to avoid hitting Rinaldo in the back.

“I did everything I could to try to get his shoulder,” he said.

He received a five-minute major for the hit and a game misconduct. By being suspended, he forfeited $22,072.07. He is eligible to return Friday night against Florida.

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