National Hockey League
Ottawa 5, Montreal 4
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Where: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec
Referees: Justin Kea, Justin St. Pierre
Linesmen: Michel Cormier, Kilian McNamara
Attendance: 21105

Brady Tkachuk scored the game-winning goal with 1:18 remaining in regulation and Tim Stutzle matched a career high with four points as the visiting Ottawa Senators earned a 5-4 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.

Corralling the puck ahead of the blue line, Stutzle stormed into the Montreal zone, then got the puck to Tkachuk, who sent it low and past Jake Allen (24 saves). Stutzle posted two goals to go with his two assists, Tkachuk also recorded an assist and Claude Giroux and Alex DeBrincat also scored for the Senators, who enter the All-Star break on a four-game winning streak.

Rafael Harvey-Pinard had two goals and Mike Hoffman posted a goal with an assist for Montreal, which was much more competitive three days after falling 5-0 at Ottawa. Nonetheless, the Canadiens have dropped four straight overall and five in a row to Ottawa.

Down 3-2, Montreal tied it when Josh Anderson sent the puck to Nick Suzuki, who found Harvey-Pinard with 8:58 left in regulation. Both Anderson and Suzuki recorded assists.

The Senators, though, regained the lead just over a minute later on Stutzle's power-play strike by a screened Allen.

Harvey-Pinard scored again, however, this time from up close to tie it with 5:44 remaining in regulation. The Quebec native has five goals in seven games this season.

Ottawa scored just 2:57 into the game when Nikita Zaitsev's drive was deflected in by Giroux for his 20th goal -- the 10th time in his 16-year career he hit that mark. Just 52 seconds later, Stutzle took a spin pass from Mathieu Joseph (two assists) to beat Allen.

Montreal came through with 6:40 remaining in the opening frame. Amid a scramble in front of Montreal's Anton Forsberg (28 saves), Kirby Dach converted the Canadiens' second power-play score in the last seven games.

The Senators regained the two-goal edge with a power-play goal of their own with 3:37 remaining in the second. A Thomas Chabot shot fake turned into a dish to Stutzle, who served a cross-slot pass for DeBrincat to bury. It was one of three assists for Chabot.

Montreal scored its second power-play goal of the game, off the stick of Hoffman, with five seconds left in the second to make it 3-2.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Ottawa   Montreal
Tim Stutzle 4 Points Rafael Harvey-Pinard 2
Tim Stutzle 2 Goals Rafael Harvey-Pinard 2
Thomas Chabot 3 Assists Josh Anderson 2
Tim Stutzle 1 Power Play Goals Mike Hoffman 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Anton Forsberg .875 Save Percentage Jake Allen .828
Anton Forsberg 28 Saves Jake Allen 24
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Ottawa 29 5 2-3 3-5 10 23
Montreal 32 4 2-5 1-3 6 33
Upcoming Games
  • Montreal will play their next game at home against NY Islanders. The Canadiens have a W/L % of .300 after a win and .452 after a loss.
  • Ottawa will play their next game at home against Edmonton. The Senators have a W/L % of .542 after a win and .423 after a loss.