Sens snap losing streak with win in Montreal

The Ottawa Senators are back in the win column.

The team ended its nine-game losing streak Thursday night with a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre.

“I thought we played a really good road game,” Sens head coach D.J. Smith said. “Just happy we got a win under our belts for these young guys.”

The win was led by German rookie Tim Stützle who had a goal and two assists as he registered his first career multi-point NHL game.

“It is a very good feeling,” he said. “I think everybody worked so hard for that today and everybody really wanted to win tonight against a very good team.”

Thomas Chabot and Connor Brown also had goals for the Senators (2-8-1) while Matt Murray made 36 saves. Montreal’s (7-2-2) Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson scored while Carey Price stopped 19 shots.

The Sens fell behind at 10:31 of the first as Gallagher found a loose puck out front to bury his fifth of the season. However, with less than a minute left in the period, the Senators exploded for a pair of goals.

Chabot got his third of the year, and his first ever at Bell Centre, with 38.2 seconds left in the period as he fired a low wrister from the slot that hit the right post to tie the game. Stützle had the secondary assist on the goal thanks to a lovely stretch pass to Chris Tierney to register his first career NHL assist.

Ottawa had the lead heading into the first intermission through a power play goal by Stützle from the left faceoff dot at 19:39 as he was able to get the puck past Price before the Montreal goaltender could cover his post.

“We made some great plays that got us those goals,” Smith said. “We found a way to get out the first period with a lead which we haven’t done for a while and then we built confidence from there.”

The Senators pushed its lead to 3-1 at 8:12 of the second on Brown’s first of the year as he tipped Erik Brannstrom’s point shot low past Price. It was Brannstrom’s first point of the year in his season debut.

“I’ve had a bunch of chances and hadn’t been able to find it,” Brown said. “Hopefully I can get some rhythm and confidence in the scoring areas and get on a little role.”

Montreal cut the score to 3-2 with 1:29 left on a shorthanded goal by Anderson but the Senators were able to close it out to secure its second win of the season.

“That one feels really good for everyone,” Chabot said. “To finish that way and go back home now is a great feeling.”

Stützle became just the second youngest Senator to record a three-point game (19 years, 20 days) and is one of just three teenagers in Sens history to score in three-straight games alongside Alexandre Daigle and Alexei Yashin.

Furthermore, Chabot moved into fifth place on the Senators franchise leaderboard for points by a defenceman after his two-point night pushed his career total to 126.

The two teams will meet again Saturday at 1 p.m. at Canadian Tire Centre.