Sunday, February 21, 2021 07:00 PM (ET)

Brady Tkachuk scores winner as Senators nip Canadiens in OT

Field Level Media
Feb 21, 2021

Brady Tkachuk scored the overtime winner and the host Ottawa Senators claimed an exciting 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday.

Matt Murray made 30 saves for the Senators, who snapped a two-game losing skid despite being without their best defenseman in Thomas Chabot.

The Senators have struggled to win all season, but were full marks in this affair, especially with a dominating overtime performance. Tkachuk, who was denied during a breakaway earlier in the extra period, found the mark from the slot with 90 seconds remaining in overtime to collect his sixth goal of the season.

Montreal goalie Jake Allen, who came up with a couple of clutch saves late in regulation, stopped 36 shots in what could be seen as an unlucky loss.

Having dropped three of their previous four games, the Canadiens were in need of a hot start and received it when Nick Suzuki opened the scoring just 77 seconds into the clash. An Ottawa turnover in the Montreal zone resulted in an odd-man rush that ended with Suzuki receiving a cross-ice pass from Josh Anderson and firing a shot off the far post and in for his fourth goal of the season.

Drake Batherson replied just before the midway point of the opening frame to even the count. After racing down the wing, Batherson cut to the front of the net and fell just as he attempted to shoot. The puck ended up bounding up and over Allen and into the net with 10:13 left for Batherson's fourth goal of the season.

Josh Norris gave the Senators the lead with a fortunate bounce. Nikita Zaitsev sent a point shot that Norris managed to deflect, and when the puck hit Allen, it vaulted over him and found the net for Norris's fourth goal of the season at 3:33 of the period.

However, Corey Perry equaled the count with 5:25 remaining in regulation. Perry, a healthy scratch the previous game, zipped past Ottawa defender Erik Gudbranson, cut to the net and tucked the puck into the net.

The loss came at a price for the Canadiens, too, as forward Jonathan Drouin didn't play in the third period after taking a hard hit late in the second frame.

--Field Level Media

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