National Hockey League
Montreal 5, Ottawa 2
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, December 6, 2018
Where: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario
Referees: Ghislain Hebert, Wes McCauley
Linesmen: Derek Amell, Ryan Galloway
Attendance: 15820

Paul Byron scored two goals to lead the visiting Montreal Canadiens to a 5-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.

Byron recorded his second multi-goal game of the season, with the first score coming in the aftermath of an Ottawa turnover 11:03 into the second period. Byron added an empty-net goal to put the game away 17:28 into the third period.

Jeff Petry also had a two-point night with a goal and an assist for the Canadiens, while Andrew Shaw scored the 100th goal of his NHL career. Brendan Gallagher also scores for Montreal.

Mark Stone and Colin White each recorded a goal and an assist for the Senators, who were undermanned for much of the game due to a pair of key injuries.

Matt Duchene didn't return after sustaining a lower-body injury midway through the second period. Duchene appeared to be favoring his right leg on a non-contact rush down the ice and immediately headed to the locker room after the play ended.

Bobby Ryan was also sidelined by an upper-body injury. The Ottawa winger played just over four minutes in the first period before taking a hard check from Montreal defenseman Brett Kulak.

The teams exchanged goals within a 20-second span in the first period. Stone's team-leading 14th goal opened the scoring at 7:58, and Petry quickly equalized on a shot from just inside the blue line that beat a screened Craig Anderson.

Byron and Shaw put Montreal ahead in the second period, with those two goals following a stretch of more than 16 minutes without a shot for the Senators. White's power-play goal got Ottawa back into the game before the end of the period, though without Duchene and Ryan to help spur the offense, the Senators were outshot by a 43-21 margin overall.

Gallagher redirected a Tomas Tatar point shot 3:19 into the third period for his 13th goal of the season, increasing Montreal's lead to 4-2.

The Canadiens earned their second 5-2 victory over Ottawa in three nights, as the teams played to an identical score line Tuesday in Montreal.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Montreal   Ottawa
Paul Byron 2 Points Mark Stone 2
Paul Byron 2 Goals Mark Stone 1
Jeff Petry 1 Assists Mark Stone 1
N/A Power Play Goals Colin White 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Carey Price .905 Save Percentage Craig Anderson .905
Carey Price 19 Saves Craig Anderson 38
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Montreal 43 5 0-3 0-1 2 23
Ottawa 21 2 1-1 3-3 6 30
Upcoming Games
  • Ottawa will play their next game at home against Pittsburgh. The Senators have a W/L % of .385 after a win and .438 after a loss.
  • Montreal will play their next game on the road against Chicago. The Canadiens have a W/L % of .308 after a win and .625 after a loss.