MONTREAL — Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta scored in the shootout, and the Montreal Canadiens snapped a five-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over the Atlanta Thrashers on Tuesday night.

Gionta, who scored late in the first period, sealed the win with a backhander past Ondrej Pavelec on Montreal’s third attempt of the shootout. Gomez had put a shot from the slot past the Atlanta goalie’s glove into the right side of the net.

Jaroslav Halak stopped Ilya Kovalchuk and Rich Peverley on the Thrashers’ first two attempts.

The Canadiens (3-5) avoided their worst start in nearly 70 years. Montreal was 1-10-1 in the 1940-41 season.

Colby Armstrong brought Atlanta into a 1-1 tie at 6:06 of the third with his first goal. Armstrong took Peverley’s pass from the left corner and put a wrist shot past Jaroslav Halak from the circle.

Halak made 22 saves in his second start of the season.

Pavelec stopped 34 shots for Atlanta (4-1-1), which tied its best start since joining the NHL in 1999.

Montreal, which won its first two games of the season in overtime, has been held to 10 goals in its last six contests.

Dating to a 6-2 win at Toronto on April 4, the Canadiens have not won in regulation through 16 games, including their four-game loss to Boston in the opening round of last season’s playoffs.

Peverley, who has eight points in six games, signed a multiyear contract extension earlier in the day. The 27-year-old center has four goals and four assists and leads the Thrashers with three power-play goals and two winning tallies.

The Canadiens held a 35-23 shots advantage, including 13-6 in the second and 7-0 in overtime.

Atlanta’s Vyacheslav Kozlov got a boarding major and a game misconduct for his hit from behind on Gomez 2:25 into overtime.

Canadiens coach Jacques Martin used his timeout with 1:15 remaining in the extra period.
Gionta opened the scoring with 2:16 left in the first when he beat Pavelec with a wrist shot from the left side.

NOTES: The Thrashers also started 4-1-1 in the 2006-07 season. ... Peverley has 43 points in 45 games with Atlanta since he was claimed off waivers from Nashville in January. ... D Marc-Andre Bergeron made his Montreal debut. Bergeron, recalled from AHL Hamilton on Sunday, was called for hooking on his first shift. ... Carey Price’s next appearance will be his 100th career game. The Canadiens’ 22-year-old goalie is 2-4 in six starts this season with a 3.36 goals-against-