Drake Batherson scored the deciding goal in the shootout to lift the Ottawa Senators to a come-from-behind 5-4 win against the visiting Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.
Ottawa forced the tiebreaker when Thomas Chabot was in the slot to redirect Batherson’s shot and tie the score 4-4 at 18:55 of the third period.
Brady Tkachuk had two goals and an assist, and Jake Sanderson had three assists for the Senators (36-40-4, 76 points). Joonas Korpisalo made 21 saves.
Cole Caufield scored twice, Mike Matheson and Alex Newhook each had a goal and an assist, and Cayden Primeau made 40 saves for the Canadiens (30-36-14, 74 points).
Matheson scored on a short-handed breakaway to give Montreal a 1-0 lead at 9:11 of the first period. Sanderson lost control of the puck at the blue line and Matheson was the first to it, skating in and slipping it past Korpisalo’s outstretched right pad.
Tkachuk tied it 1-1 on the power play at 13:08. His attempt to tip in a Sanderson point shot at the top of the crease hit Primeau, but the rebound landed in the crease, where Tkachuk backhanded it into the net.
The Canadiens challenged for goaltender interference, but the call stood after video review.
Caufield put Montreal back in front 2-1 at 1:37 of the second period, taking a rebound from the front to the side of the net and sliding it under the left pad of a sprawled Korpisalo.
The Senators’ power play delivered again to tie it 2-2 at 8:36. Claude Giroux fed Shane Pinto in front for a quick snap shot to beat Primeau on his blocker side.
Caufield scored his career-high 27th of the season to make it 3-2 on the power play at 13:05. Matheson walked the blue line before dishing to Caufield, who scored top corner far side from the top of the right circle.
Tkachuk tied it 3-3 with yet another power-play goal 47 seconds into the third period, taking a pass from Batherson to the front of the net before shoveling a backhand past Primeau’s glove.
Newhook’s centering pass went off the skate of Senators defenseman Jakob Chychrun and into the net for a 4-3 lead at 15:49.
–Field Level Media
