After Carter scored late in the first period and early in the second, Matt Carle made it 3-0 at 3:17 of the second. Carle's shot from the blue line deflected off Montreal defenseman Ryan O'Byrne and past goalie Casey Price.
Montreal's Glen Metropolit and Dominic Moore made it close, scoring in a 56-second span early in the third period.
The Flyers have won three straight, coming back from two-goal deficits in consecutive nights against Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey in the first two.
Philadelphia has won nine of its past 11 home game, beating Montreal at home for the first time since March 6, 2006.
NOTES: Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban made his NHL debut after Andrei Markov was a late scratch. The 20-year-old Subban was a second-round pick in 2007 and a two-time gold medal winner with Canada in the World Junior Championships.
