"I thought we stuck with it," Meier said. "It definitely wasn't our best performance, but we found a way to win a game, which is really important. We got to find ways to win games, and we did that tonight, but there's different levels we can reach, so we got to build on this one."
Tyler Toffoli had two assists, and Nico Daws made 23 saves in his seventh straight start for the Devils (29-24-4), who had lost two straight.
"We knew we were desperate for a win, but more importantly, it was going to be one game at a time," New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. "I thought we were a little loose early on. ... We could have had better coverage on their first goal, but I thought we tightened things up."
Nick Suzuki scored two goals, and Jake Allen made 20 saves for the Canadiens (22-28-8), who have lost a season-high five straight games.
"Our mindset is to just keep with it," Allen said. "The majority of the time, what we're doing is working. There are periods, obviously, where teams will get momentum, but that's part of the League. We have to find ways to contain that, slow it down and get back to our game."
Brendan Gallagher gave Montreal a 1-0 lead at 3:06 of the second period, scoring on a slap shot from the high slot.
Meier tied it 1-1 at 5:23 when he tipped in a backhand at the right post off a pass by Kevin Bahl from the top of the left face-off circle.
"[Bahl] made a heck of a play to Timo," Ruff said. "I think we talked about shooting the puck, and if [Bahl] buries his head and shoots, maybe we don't score. But he had his head up, spotted [Meier] off the backside, and made a heck of a play."