Montreal Canadiens winger Cole Caufield scored 33 seconds into overtime on Saturday, completing a remarkable comeback and securing a 6-5 victory over the Ottawa Senators. It was Caufield’s second goal of the night, capping off a game where the lead changed hands multiple times.
The intense divisional rivalry delivered a thrilling contest for fans of both teams,filled with momentum swings and dramatic finishes.
Lane hutson scored twice, including a late tying goal with a lovely tip-in, for the Canadiens. Alexandre Carrier then tied the score just 65 seconds later, beating Leevi Merilainen glove side.
Ottawa had appeared to have secured the win when Jake Sanderson scored his 10th goal of the season at 7:55 of the third, giving the Senators a 5-3 lead. Sanderson also contributed three assists in the game.
Brady Tkachuk,Tim Stutzle,Dylan Cozens,and David Perron also found the back of the net for the Senators (22-19-6). Merilainen finished with 13 saves.
Josh Anderson scored the other goal for the Canadiens (27-15-7).
The second period began with the Senators enjoying a two-man advantage, capitalizing quickly as Tkachuk scored his 10th of the season just 42 seconds in.Stutzle then extended Ottawa’s lead with a dazzling individual effort, deking the puck between his legs before backhanding it over Montembeault’s shoulder.
Montreal responded, regaining the lead when Anderson beat Merilainen blocker side. Though, Ottawa quickly answered back on the power play, with Stutzle setting up Cozens for a wrist shot thru traffic.
With 1:36 left in the period, Artem Zub’s shot from the blue line deflected off David Perron’s skate, giving Ottawa its first lead of the game.
The Canadiens had jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first period.
Caufield opened the scoring on the power play, finding Slafkovsky at the edge of the circle for a high glove-side shot.
Montreal had a goal disallowed earlier in the period, but regained the two-goal advantage late in the frame. nick Suzuki won a battle along the boards and fed Caufield, who then rifled a shot past merilainen on the power play.
The Canadiens struggled to contain Ottawa’s offensive push in the second period but demonstrated resilience in their late-game comeback.
The Senators battled back from an early 2-0 deficit, showcasing their determination to remain competitive in the divisional matchup.
Lane hutson set a new franchise record, surpassing Henri Richard’s (101) total for the moast assists by a Canadiens player age 21 or younger.
The Canadiens will host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.
The Senators will visit the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday.
