Laine PP game-winner, Montembeault’s 25 saves, and more: 3 reasons why Montreal Canadiens won 5-2 over Ottawa Senators

The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Ottawa Senators 5-2 in their first game following the 4 Nations Face-Off break on Saturday night at the Canadian Tire Centre. The win ended the Canadiens’ three-game losing streak, extending the Sens’ losing streak to four.

Brendan Gallagher, Cole Caufield, Patrik Laine (PPG), Josh Anderson, and Juraj Slafkovsky scored for the Montreal Canadiens. Meanwhile, Jake Sanderson (PPG) and Tim Stutzle scored for the Ottawa Senators.

So, here’s a look at the three main reasons why the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.

3 reasons why Montreal Canadiens won over Ottawa Senators

#3 Canadiens’ resilience

The Montreal Canadiens resilience was on display on Saturday against Ottawa. The Canadiens jumped to an early 2-0 lead on goals by Gallagher and Caufield. The Senators stormed back to tie the game at two midway through the first period.

However, the Habs didn’t give up. Patrik Laine scored on the power play less than 30 seconds later, setting the stage for a strong second period in which the Habs scored twice to make the game 5-2. Then, Montreal locked the game down in the third period, taking the two points from the Atlantic Division rivals.

#2 Montembeault’s 25 saves

Samuel Monteambeault had another strong outing for the Montreal Canadiens against the Senators. Montembeault stopped 25 of 27 shots, giving the Canadiens a solid performance. Montembeault was particularly good in the third period, stopping nine shots as the Senators eventually outshot the Canadiens 27-25.

Montembeault’s performance was key as the Canadiens have needed solid goaltending to help them turn things around following a three-game skid. The Habs had been on a roll before the 4 Nations break, climbing back into the playoff conversation. The recent skid dropped them back in the standings. But with Montembeault playing well, the Habs might still have a chance to get back into the playoff hunt.

#1 Laine’s PP game-winner

The Canadiens got a crucial power play goal from Patrik Laine to take a 3-2 lead late in the first period. The goal would stand as the game-winner.

Here’s a look at the goal:

A crucial face-off win from Habs’ captain Nick Suzuki allowed Lane Hutson to get the puck across to Laine for the deadly one-timer. Sens’ goalie Linus Ullmark had no chance as he tried to get across and stop the shot.

Laine’s 13th goal of the season gave the Habs a lead they didn't relinquish. With the win, Montreal closed the gap to five points from the Senators and has opened up a six-point lead on last-placed Buffalo.

The Habs will be back on the ice on Tuesday night to play the Carolina Hurricanes at the Bell Centre.