Montreal, QC (SportsNetwork.com) – Erik Karlsson had two goals and one assist
as the Ottawa Senators scored five unanswered goals to beat the Montreal
Canadiens, 5-2, on Thursday night.
Erik Condra, Mark Stone and Marc Methot also lit the lamp for the Senators,
who sit seven points behind Boston for the second wild-card spot in the
Eastern Conference. The Bruins beat the Lightning in a shootout on Thursday.
Andrew Hammond remained unbeaten in regulation over his brief NHL career
thanks to 27 saves.
“We know that to make the playoffs we need to go on a run here and to not have
anyone pack it in and keep fighting when we’re down 2-0 just shows the care in
the locker room and that we’re going to see this thing through, and I think
it’s just a big asset that we have that character in here,” said Hammond.
Max Pacioretty scored a pair of goals for the Canadiens, who have lost five of
six to fall into a tie with Tampa Bay for first place in the Atlantic
Division.
Carey Price gave up all five goals on 28 shots.
Trailing 2-0, Karlsson put the Senators on the board at the 2:50 mark of the
second stanza. David Legwand’s cross-ice pass set up Karlsson’s blast from the
top of the right circle.
Ottawa tied it at 18:21 when Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s pass from behind the net
deflected off Condra and into the back of the net.
Stone deflected Patrick Wiercioch’s shot past Price at 1:23 of the third.
Karlsson made it 4-2 at 9:43 when he tipped Milan Michalek’s pass past Price.
Methot’s shot from the left circle beat Price at 12:36.
The Canadiens took a 1-0 lead at 6:43 of the first period. Pacioretty
deflected P.K. Subban’s power-play slap shot from the point past Hammond.
Pacioretty then scored a short-handed goal at 8:54 when he beat Hammond on a
breakaway.
“I think we had some opportunities to put the game away,” Subban said. “When
you’re up 2-0 you want to get that third goal to really put the dagger in, but
we didn’t get it.”
Game Notes
Canadiens defenseman Sergei Gonchar played his 1,300th NHL game … Michalek
had two assists … Ottawa went 1-for-3 on the power play, while Montreal went
1-for-5 … P.A. Parenteau returned to Montreal’s lineup after sitting out
four games.
