Thrilling Overtime Victory
In an exhilarating match on Saturday, the Montreal Canadiens pulled off a thrilling 6-5 victory against the Ottawa Senators, with Cole Caufield netting the overtime winner just 33 seconds into the extra period. The Canadiens found themselves down 5-3 late in the game but mounted a fierce comeback.
Strategic Comeback
With just over four minutes left in regulation, Montreal’s head coach made the strategic decision to pull goaltender Samuel Montembeault in favor of an extra skater. Juraj Slafkovsky capitalized on this move, redirecting a shot from Lane Hutson for his second goal of the night to narrow the deficit.
Tensions escalated as Alexandre Carrier quickly equalized for the Canadiens, scoring just over a minute later, finding the net glove side on Leevi Merilainen. Josh Anderson contributed to the scoring with a goal and an assist, adding depth to Montreal’s offensive efforts.
Senators’ Strong Start
Throughout the match, Jake Sanderson provided a glimmer of security for Ottawa by scoring his 10th goal of the season early in the third period, which initially raised the Senators’ lead to 5-3. Ottawa’s offensive lineup included notable contributions from Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Dylan Cozens, and David Perron, all of whom found the back of the net.
The Senators appeared to seize control of the game starting the second period with a two-man advantage, and Tkachuk swiftly converted that opportunity 42 seconds in. Later in the second, Artem Zub‘s shot from the blue line inadvertently deflected off Perron’s skate, marking Ottawa’s first lead of the game.
Key Performances
Montreal had an early goal in the second period disallowed but regained their momentum late in that period on a power play, with Nick Suzuki’s clever assist to Caufield resulting in a shot that foiled Merilainen.
Hutson also had a notable performance, collecting three assists, which allowed him to surpass Henri Richard as the Canadiens’ record-holder for assists at age 21 or younger, now standing at 102.
Looking Ahead
As for the next steps, the Canadiens will host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, while the Senators will travel to Detroit for their next matchup on Sunday.
