RECAP | Canadiens – Senators: Price, Kovalchuk Lead Habs to OT Win
Rick Stephens
Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators Game Recap: Habs Line-up, Score, Statistics, Highlights, Post-game Interviews, NHL Three-Stars
FINAL/OT | Game 46, Away Game 23 | Saturday January 11, 2020
Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, ON
CANADIENS
Montreal
2-1
SENATORS
Ottawa
Canadiens Lineup
Forward lines
Tomas Tatar – Phillip Danault – Nick Suzuki
Ilya Kovalchuk – Max Domi – Matthew Peca
Artturi Lehkonen – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Nick Cousins
Ryan Poehling – Nate Thompson – Dale Weise
Defence pairings
Marco Scandella – Shea Weber
Brett Kulak – Jeff Petry
Victor Mete – Cale Fleury
Goaltenders
Carey Price – Charlie Lindgren
Scratches
Jordan Weal
Injuries
Paul Byron, Jonathan Drouin, Joel Armia, Ben Chiarot, Brendan Gallagher
Game Report
The losing streak is over, for now. It came against the 29th place team in the NHL, but it was enthusiastically celebrated by the team. It was the first win for the Canadiens in nine games.
After an evenly-played first period, Montreal was badly outshot 32-9 for the next 40 minutes. The only answer to the Senators was Carey Price. He was outstanding.
With Price performing his heroics and the Canadiens riding a first period power-play goal, what could go wrong? Marc Bergevin could only shake his head in the third period when a puck went off a few skates into the back of the Habs net. Was it happening again?
Montreal took charge in the overtime period. Ilya Kovalchuk went in alone on Marcus Hogberg but was stopped as he tried to go five-hole. Undaunted, Kovalchuk got another chance, late in OT, and fired the game-winner.
This was a much-needed win for the Canadiens thanks to the brilliance of Price and Kovalchuk’s first goal in a Canadiens jersey.
“It was a good feeling for everyone. [Ilya Kovalchuk’s] teammates were happy for him. He’s a guy we wanted to have to help us given the circumstances. On top of his goal, he made nice plays and his shifts were short. I find he fits in well with what we want him to be doing.”
Carey Price
“[Ilya Kovalchuk] has been bringing enthusiasm ever since he arrived. He’s definitely earned that. It was a big goal for us. Obviously, things haven’t been rosy around here. But that was a nice breath that’s been breathed into this team.”
Ilya Kovalchuk
“I came in here and the guys were so welcoming. I felt like I’ve been here for a long time, but I’ve only been here for a week. I feel better on the ice, too. It’s good to get my first goal as a Hab, especially in OT, but the win is way more important.”
“We talked about it before the third period: play to win the game, not to sit back and wait for what they’re going to do. But we took so many penalties. Our PKers did an unbelievable job, and Pricer stood on his head. Finally, we got a win, so it’s good. It’s going to build some momentum and some confidence, for sure.”