Senators 3, Canadiens 2 (OT): Cory Conacher tied the game with 22.6 seconds remaining in the third period and Kyle Turris scored at 2:32 of overtime as host Ottawa edged second-seeded Montreal to take a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series.
After Conacher forged a 2-2 tie by burying a loose puck at the top of the crease, Turris put the seventh-seeded Senators within one victory of advancing when his rising shot from the top of the left faceoff circle deflected off Canadiens defenseman Raphael Diaz and past Peter Budaj. It was just the second shot faced by Budaj, who started the overtime session after Carey Price (30 saves) suffered an undisclosed injury at the end of the third period.
Mika Zibanejad also scored, Turris added an assist and Craig Anderson stopped 26 shots for Ottawa, which can close out the series when the teams meet in Montreal for Game 5 on Thursday.
Defenseman P.K. Subban and rookie Alex Galchenyuk tallied for the Canadiens, who were outshot 15-5 after the second period.
After a scoreless first session, Montreal built a 2-0 lead as Subban and Galchenyuk scored 62 seconds apart early in the second. Ottawa halved the deficit with 8:05 remaining in the third, as enforcer Chris Neil's pass from along the right-wing boards caromed off the left skate of Zibanejad and past Price.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Price appeared to injure himself when he stretched in an attempt to snare a high shot just before time expired in the third. ... Ottawa D Eric Gryba was back in the lineup after serving a two-game suspension for his high hit on Montreal C Lars Eller in Game 1. ... Canadiens RW Brian Gionta and C Ryan White were kept out of the lineup due to upper-body injuries. Gionta, Montreal's captain, also missed Game 2 with a left arm ailment. ... Subban was named a finalist for the Norris Trophy along with Pittsburgh D Kris Letang and Minnesota D Ryan Suter. Subban and Letang led all NHL defensemen with 38 points apiece.
Montreal | Ottawa | |
Alex Galchenyuk 1 | Points | Kyle Turris 2 |
Alex Galchenyuk 1 | Goals | Kyle Turris 1 |
Jeff Halpern 1 | Assists | Kyle Turris 1 |
N/A | Power Play Goals | N/A |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Carey Price .938 | Save Percentage | Craig Anderson .929 |
Carey Price 30 | Saves | Craig Anderson 26 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Montreal | 28 | 2 | 0-1 | 3-3 | 6 | 31 |
Ottawa | 34 | 3 | 0-3 | 1-1 | 2 | 39 |