Bold take: Brady Tkachuk’s first goal of the season sparks a 5-2 Ottawa win, flipping the momentum and delivering a statement win that reshapes the Senators’ road-trip narrative. And this is the part most people miss: Ottawa doesn’t just win, they close the trip 4-3-0 after an up-and-down seven games, proving resilience matters as the calendar reaches December.
Brady Tkachuk opened the scoring drought with his first goal of the season, and Ottawa rattled off four unanswered goals to cement a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre on Tuesday. The captain added a late third-period tally at 12:43, snapping a shot past Sam Montembeault in his first game back from a broken right thumb after missing 20 games.
The win carried strategic weight: a four-point swing against a direct opponent and a road trip that, despite finishing with a winning record, included stretches of inconsistency. “A massive win,” Tkachuk said. “It’s a four-point swing, and with the way the league is, every matchup matters in early December. We came into this game focused on starting the road trip over .500, and today’s performance reflected that mindset.” He also credited his teammates for a collective effort in a game that featured strong contributions across the roster.
Fabian Zetterlund contributed offensively with a goal and an assist, while Zetterlund’s line received high praise from Senators coach Travis Green, who called it “one of his best games in a while” and emphasized the overall strong performance from the team.
Ottawa improved to 13-9-4 with the win, and Montreal, dropping to 13-9-3, had a rough night in its own zone. Linus Ullmark stopped 19 shots for Ottawa, while Montembeault finished with 24 saves for the Canadiens.
Montreal struck first on a power-play goal by Juraj Slafkovsky at 3:37 of the first period, driving a shot through traffic after Caufield’s setup. Zetterlund answered for Ottawa just 24 seconds later with a slap shot from the blue line, knotting the game at 1-1.
Artem Zub put the Sens ahead 2-1 at 16:53, converting a close-range snapshot, and Jake Sanderson extended the lead at 5:48 of the second with a backhand finish along the goal line from the left side.
Drake Batherson pushed the advantage to 4-1 at 6:58, maneuvering around Montembeault’s pad for Ottawa’s fourth straight goal, a sequence that effectively tilted the game in Ottawa’s favor.
Nick Suzuki answered for Montreal on the power play at 8:50 of the second, reducing the deficit to 4-2 with a low, left-circle strike, but the Senators answered back with Tkachuk’s late third-period insurance marker.
Key notes from the game highlight ongoing trends: Suzuki extended his point streak to six games (nine points on that stretch), Caufield continued his own productive run with two assists, and Slafkovsky reached a milestone with his 50th career goal in 225 NHL games, making him one of the few 21-or-younger players born and trained in Slovakia to reach that mark.
Additional context: Ottawa forward David Perron logged an assist on Tkachuk’s goal in what was his 1,200th NHL game, while Tkachuk’s tally moved him into a tie for fifth on the Senators’ all-time scoring list with 410 points, trailing Ottawa legends like Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson, and Alexei Yashin at the franchise’s career leader board.
Would you agree that the real turning point was Ottawa’s 4-1 surge in the second period, or did Montreal’s defensive lapses in the first and third prove more decisive? Share your thoughts below about how this game reshapes your view of both teams’ trajectories for the rest of the season.
