Ottawa goalie Matt Murray believes the Senators got the break they’ve been looking for.
Rookie Tim Stutzle had a goal and two assists, and the Senators snapped a nine-game losing skid with a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.
The Senators (2-8-1) had not won since their season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 13.
“It seemed like we were just fighting against everything, fighting against bounces, calls, stuff like that,” Murray said.
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“It just felt really, really good to get off that streak here,” Murray said. “And I think this one’s going to propel us in the right direction.”
Thomas Chabot had a goal and an assist, and Connor Brown also scored for Ottawa.
Beating one of the top teams in the NHL could be a boon for the Senators’ confidence, Chabot said.
“Whenever things don’t go our way, it’s hard obviously to stay positive at times,” he said. “But just the fact that we showed up here at the Bell Centre against the best team in our division and we stepped up our game to get the win, obviously it wasn’t pretty at all times, but when you’re going through nine losses in a row, you’re getting a little nervous by the end. But I’m so happy we got it done.”
Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson scored for Montreal.
It was a tough night in net for Canadiens goalie Carey Price, who stopped 19 of 22 shots. Murray had 36 saves for the Sens.
Despite the win, Ottawa is at the bottom of the NHL standings, one point behind the 30th-place Detroit Red Wings.
The Canadiens failed to score on five power play chances. The Senators scored one goal on four power plays.
“This one here, it stings because we had a bad game in our system and tonight was the night,” Montreal coach Claude Julien said. “I don’t think we looked at Ottawa as an easy game. For sure our guys didn’t see it like that. We just didn’t seem to be in sync tonight.”
NOTES: Danault skated in his 350th NHL game. … The Canadiens recognized Shea Webber’s 1,000th game before the puck drop, playing a video with congratulatory messages from around the league. The Montreal captain was then joined on the ice by his wife and three children and presented with a painting and a commemorative silver stick.
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The Canadiens and Senators square off against in Ottawa on Saturday.
