Brady Tkachuk breaks through with his first goal of the season as the Ottawa Senators topple the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 at the Bell Centre, completing four straight wins after a tense stretch. The captain capped Ottawa’s late surge with a wrister past Sam Montembeault at 12:43 of the third period, marking his return to the scoresheet in his third game since returning from a broken right thumb.
The win also featured a strong all-around performance from Ottawa, with Fabian Zetterlund tallying a goal and an assist and Zetterlund’s line earning praise from coach Travis Green for generating sustained pressure. Zetterlund finished the game with two points, helping the Senators (13-9-4) close out a seven-game road trip at 4-3-0.
Montreal, coming off a 7-2 loss to Colorado, received a 24-save effort from Sam Montembeault but couldn’t keep up after an early deficit. Nick Suzuki recorded a goal and an assist, while Cole Caufield added two assists as the Canadiens fall to 13-9-3.
In the first period, Juraj Slafkovsky opened the scoring for Montreal on the power play at 3:37, driving to the right edge of the crease to convert a Caufield feed. Ottawa answered quickly as Zetterlund tied things 1-1 with a slap shot from the point just 24 seconds later.
Artem Zub gave Ottawa a 2-1 lead at 16:53, firing a close-range snap shot. Jake Sanderson then pushed the advantage to 3-1 with a backhand goal at 5:48 of the second period, skimming along the goal line from the left and tucking it inside the far post.
Drake Batherson extended the margin to 4-1 at 6:58, tucking the puck around Montembeault after curling around the pad. Suzuki’s power-play goal at 8:50 narrowed the gap to 4-2, but Ottawa answered back with a late push in the third.
Key notes from the game highlighted milestones and trends: Suzuki extended a six-game point streak to nine points (four goals, five assists), Caufield reached ten points (two goals, eight assists) over an eight-game stretch, and Slafkovsky’s goal marked his 50th career NHL goal in 225 games, making him the third Slovakia-born player to hit that mark before age 22, following Marian Gaborik and Marian Hossa. Additionally, Senators forward David Perron joined the 1,200-game club with an assist on Tkachuk’s goal. Tkachuk’s 410 points bring him level with Wade Redden for fifth on Ottawa’s all-time list; Daniel Alfredsson leads the franchise, followed by Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson, and Alexei Yashin.
This game underscores a broader debate about Ottawa’s late-season potential and whether the team’s improved depth, led by strong contributions from players like Zetterlund and Sanderson, can sustain success on the road and in close matchups. With the season still early, many will wonder if Ottawa can capitalize on this momentum and push toward higher playoff positioning. Do you believe the Senators have turned a corner, or are these results likely to be another roller-coaster ride? Share your thoughts in the comments.
