MTL@OTT: Game Recap

KANATA - The Canadiens are winless in three straight games after falling 5-4 in a shootout to the Senators on Tuesday night at the Canadian Tire Centre.

Carey Price was back between the pipes for Montreal, while defenseman Brett Kulak returned to the lineup in place of Victor Mete. Kulak watched the previous three games from the stands as a healthy scratch.

It didn't take the Senators long to get on the scoreboard in the first period.
Ninety-six seconds elapsed off the clock when Derek Stepan hit a streaking Drake Batherson to send him in all alone on Price, and the 22-year-old right-winger made no mistake with a backhand maneuver.

Batherson played a starring role on the Senators' second goal of the night, completing a perfect pass to left-winger Brad Tkachuk, who tucked the puck under Price for a power play tally just shy of the midway point of the frame.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi was serving a charging penalty when Tkachuk found the back of the net.
Captain Shea Weber cut Ottawa's lead to 2-1 when he threw a puck towards the net where it deflected off defenseman Nikita Zaitsev's skate and past goaltender Matt Murray.
Weber's third goal of the season, which snapped a 10-game goal drought, came with 3:57 left in the period.
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Jake Evans and Corey Perry collected assists on the goal.
That's the way things stood after 20 minutes. Ottawa outshot Montreal by a 14-13 margin.
The Senators restored their two-goal advantage when defenseman Erik Brannstrom beat Price five-hole with a point shot through traffic at the 3:41 mark of the second period.
It was the first goal of Brannstrom's NHL career, and it came on the tail end of a power play with Weber serving a double-minor for high-sticking Tkachuk.

Just 71 seconds later, though, Jonathan Drouin capped a solid individual effort with his second goal of the campaign and first since January 23.
The tally on Murray was unassisted.

Then, Weber tied things up 3-3 with a vintage point blast that left Murray completely helpless.
Phillip Danault and Kulak picked up the assists on Weber's second goal of the game and fourth of the year, which was scored at the 10:06 mark of the frame.

That set up an interesting third period.
The Senators were ahead 33-21 in shots at the break.
Tyler Toffoli gave the Canadiens their first lead of the game when he wired a wrist shot past Murray at the 8:06 mark of the final stanza.
Toffoli's 12th goal of the year was assisted by Danault and defenseman Joel Edmundson.

The Habs' leading goal-scorer has three goals in his last four games.
Unfortunately, Tkachuk answered right back for Ottawa just 2:05 later, sneaking a weak backhander by Price to level the score at 4-4.
It was Tkachuk's second goal of the contest.

The Canadiens thought they'd secured the victory with three seconds left in regulation, but the goal was ultimately disallowed after video review because of contact with Murray.

That meant that overtime was required again.
Nothing was solved in the extra frame, so a shootout was necessary.
Tim Stützle and Josh Norris both scored on Price to put the Senators over the top.
The Canadiens will fly to Winnipeg on Wednesday ahead of a two-game set against the Jets to close out their four-game road trip.