Tkachuk buries Montreal with late winner

The Ottawa Senators squeezed out a narrow 5-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens on the Bell Centre on Tuesday night time.

Tim Stützle was named the primary star of the sport with two targets and two assists, whereas Senators captain Brady Tkachuk buried the game-winning objective with simply over a minute left. Anton Forsberg made 28 saves to earn his eleventh win of the season.

Rookie ahead Rafaël Harvey-Pinard spurred on the Canadiens’ comeback effort with a pair of targets and Mike Hoffman registered a objective and an help. Jake Allen stopped 24 of 29 photographs, making various massive saves to maintain his group within the recreation.

Ottawa’s high weapons got here to play

Stützle put his stamp on the Senators’ massive win with two key targets and a pair of helpers, recording his fifth profession tally and thirteenth level towards the Canadiens, making Montreal the group the 21-year-old has been most profitable towards.

Linemates Tkachuk and Mathieu Joseph every registered two factors, with the trio combining for the winner late within the third interval.

Star forwards Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux additionally acquired on the scoresheet, every discovering a high nook so as to add to the goal-fest. Thomas Chabot chipped in three helpers from the blue line and was a plus-2 in a game-high 23:46 of ice time.

Undisciplined play nearly price Sens

The Senators appeared to be coasting their method to a straightforward win after getting out to an early two-goal lead within the first interval. However a tripping penalty on Travis Hamonic would ship the Canadiens to the facility play halfway by way of the opening body, the place Kirby Dach buried a free puck behind Forsberg to present Montreal some life.

Ottawa would go on to take 5 penalties all through the sport, with the Habs — the NHL’s worst group with the person benefit — capitalizing on two events. The Senators’ 224 penalties on the season are the sixth-highest within the league, and are an space of the sport D.J. Smith’s squad ought to take a look at shoring up whether it is severe about making a playoff push.

The Senators additionally gave the puck away 12 occasions, together with 5 by defencemen, giving the Canadiens prolonged offensive zone time and letting them construct momentum.

Harvey-Pinard making a reputation for himself

The Canadiens are bloodied and bruised, with a number of massive names lacking from the lineup with accidents, however one fill-in is profiting from his alternative with the large membership, and that’s Harvey-Pinard.

Harvey-Pinard potted two targets — his fourth and fifth of the season — to tie the rating on two events as the sport got here all the way down to the wire within the third interval.

The 24-year-old seventh-round decide in 2019 has managed a formidable six factors in seven video games after being referred to as up from the AHL’s Laval Rocket, and has seemingly caught the attention of head coach Martin St. Louis within the course of. Harvey-Pinard logged a season-high 18:49, and acquired prolonged reps down the stretch on the highest line with Nick Suzuki and Josh Anderson after beginning the competition on the fourth line.

Harvey-Pinard’s power and industrious fashion appeared to rub off on the struggling Suzuki, who recorded his first multi-point recreation since Jan. 7.

The Reverse Retro curse lives on

Montreal is just not made to put on something however crimson, as evidenced as soon as once more by the slim loss to the Senators. With the loss, the Canadiens at the moment are 0-6-1 on the season when carrying the powder blue sweaters, seemingly unable to knock the curse regardless of how laborious they struggle.

Perhaps the Reverse Retro unis are in on the tank for Connor Bedard.

Extra from Yahoo Sports activities