OTTAWA — Two first-period goals by Max Domi got Montreal off to a quick start and the Canadiens pressed their advantage for three periods as they defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-0 Saturday at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Carey Price did his part as he stopped 30 shots for the shutout. It was his fourth shutout this season and the 48th of his career.
For those of you harbouring hopes of a playoff berth, the win allowed the Canadiens to move six points back of Toronto in the race for third place in the Atlantic Division. Toronto, which lost to Carolina, does have a game in hand.
Domi has been mentioned in trade rumours, but he offered an argument for keeping him around as his line accounted for all of the Montreal goals.
Domi applied some defensive pressure in the Ottawa zone leading up to his first goal, which came at 1:13. The result was a bad pass that was knocked down by Paul Byron, who set up Domi for a clean break. Domi pulled Craig Anderson out of position and skated across the crease before scoring on a backhander.
Domi added his 15th goal midway through the period. It was an unassisted effort, but it came after the Canadiens put sustained pressure on the Senators.
The goal was scored 21 seconds after the Senators lost defenceman Thomas Chabot with what looked like a knee injury. He and Brendan Gallagher were shoulder to shoulder when they went into the end boards. Chabot hit his leg hard and hobbled off the ice on one leg.
There was no hint of a penalty on the contact, but Brady Tkachuk took it on himself to go after Gallagher. They each received five-minute major penalties for fighting, but the incident raised the question: What’s the point of having an instigator penalty if the referees aren’t calling it. It was clear Gallagher had no interest in fighting and was simply defending himself.
Price might have thought he was playing at home because the large number of Canadiens’ fans, who boost the attendance at games here, broke out in two “Ca-rey, Ca-rey” chants in the second period.
The first came after Price plucked a shorthanded shot from Anthony Duclair out of the air.
The second came when there was a scrum involving Tkachuk in front of the Montreal net. Tkachuk has a reputation for running goalies and Price received a roughing penalty when he threw a punch at the Ottawa player. Tkachuk and Ben Chiarot also received penalties during the fray.
Byron, who has been solid in the three games since he returned from a knee injury that sidelined him for more than three months, scored a goal late in the second period on a feed from Ilya Kovalchuk, who had gone six games without a point.
Byron has a goal and two assists in the three games since his return and he has also helped the penalty-kill, which stifled two Ottawa power plays. The Canadiens went 0-for-2 on their power-play opportunities.
Related
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2020
