Tkachuk’s late goal lifts Senators over Canadiens 5-4

MONTREAL (AP) — Brady Tkachuk scored at 18:41 of the third period to lift the Ottawa Senators to a 5-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.

The surging Senators will head into the NHL All-Star break with a sense of accomplishment, having extended their winning streak to four games.

“It was big, I mean, getting a couple of middle fingers from a couple of fans. Chucky loved it,” said Stutzle about the winning goal. “Everyone knows he’s there for big moments and I think that was really big, giving us four wins before the break. I think now everybody can go into the break positive and happy.”

Tim Stutzle scored two goals and added two assists, while Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux also found the back of the net for the visitors.

Anton Forsberg made 28 saves.

Rafael Harvey-Pinard kept the Canadiens in the game with two third-period goals. Kirby Dach and Mike Hoffman also scored for Montreal, which dropped its fourth in a row.

“In rivalry games, I think both teams are going to bring their best,” Tkachuk said. “So for us to come out on top with all three games, I think it does say a lot about our character and how whenever we’re playing our game we’re a tough team to beat.”

Jake Allen made 24 saves for the Canadiens and kept the dreaded Reverse Retro curse going as they hold a 0-6-1 record wearing light blue.

“It’s a mix of emotions,” said Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis. “I didn’t like our first period but we fought in the second and the third. Of course you lose the game but on the hockey side of things and what we showed, I’m happy with the group.”

St. Louis particularly liked Harvey-Pinard, who has been red-hot since his recall from the AHL’s Laval Rocket on Jan. 11. The 24-year-old seems unaffected by the Reverse Retro curse, grabbing his second two-goal game in light blue and adding six points (five goals, one assist) in seven games.

“HP is showing us what he’s able to do,” said St. Louis. “I saw him a bit last year, I heard about him and I’m starting to discover who he is as well. He’s a guy you notice on the ice.”

“(The recall) is going well right now,” said Harvey-Pinard. “I’m still not 100% satisfied with the little details but I think I’m doing a good job so I just need to play with consistency.”

50 IN 50

With an assist on Stutzle’s goal, Tkachuk reached the 50-point mark in his 50th game of the season. He became the fastest Senator to reach that mark since 2018-19.

UP NEXT

Senators: After the All-Star break, host the Oilers on Feb. 11.

Canadiens: Host the Islanders on Feb. 11.

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