EditorsNote: Shortened head; minor tweaks in story
Ben Chiarot's goal 1:11 into overtime gave the Montreal Canadiens a 3-2 win over the visiting Ottawa Senators on Wednesday.
It was the first overtime winner of Chiarot's six-year NHL career, and the goal snapped a 15-game scoreless drought for the defenseman.
Montreal has won four of its last five games, including its last three in a row. Wednesday's victory puts the Habs back into a playoff position, tying them with the Buffalo Sabres for second place in the Atlantic Division.
Playing in his second game for the Canadiens, rookie goalie Cayden Primeau earned his first NHL victory. Primeau saved 35 of 37 shots, and had to be sharp early against a flurry of eight Senators shots in the first 10 minutes of play.
After withstanding that initial rush, the Canadiens took the lead 13:36 into the first period. On a power play, Nick Cousins redirected a point shot for his fourth goal of the season.
Neither team scored during a penalty-filled second period, though it took the Canadiens just 29 seconds into the third frame to extend their lead. Tomas Tatar took a long shot that snuck through traffic and deflected off Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki into the net.
It was Tatar's 11th goal of the season, and his second in as many games. Phillip Danault and Brendan Gallagher recorded assists on the play, extending both players' individual point streaks to five games.
Despite the 2-0 deficit, the Senators fought back to force overtime with two third-period goals.
Brady Tkachuk recorded a goal and an assist in the period, first putting Ottawa on the board with a power-play goal at the 4:30 mark. It was a rare strike with the man advantage for the Senators, who entered Wednesday tied with the Anaheim Ducks with a league-low nine goals on power plays.
At 13:05 into the third frame, Tkachuk's initial shot was stopped by Primeau but Connor Brown was in position to bury the rebound.
Senators goaltender Anders Nilsson made 26 saves in the losing effort.
--Field Level Media
