DeBrincat’s overtime goal lifts Senators past Canadiens in pre-season action

Alex DeBrincat scored a power-play goal in overtime, his second of the night, to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 5-4 National Hockey League (NHL_ pre-season win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, Oct. 1. 

Shane Pinto led the way with a pair of goals for the Senators (1-3-0), while Mathieu Joseph also scored.

Netminder Mads Sogaard allowed three goals on 14 shots through two periods of play. Antoine Bibeau allowed one goal on two shots.

Jake Evans scored twice for the Canadiens, while Rem Pitlick and Justin Barron also scored for Montreal (1-3-0). Cayden Primeau was solid making 30 saves.

The game was the first of four straight against each other. The two teams will meet again on Tuesday, Oct. 4, Thursday, Oct. 6 and next Saturday, Oct. 8 to close out the pre-season.

Justin Barron made it 4-2 for the Canadiens midway through the third, but 20 seconds later the Senators took advantage when Brendan Guhle fell at the blue line allowing Tyler Motte to steal the puck and find Joseph down low to make it a one-goal game.

Pinto tied it 4-4 with his second power-play goal of the game late in the third.

After 40 minutes the Senators trailed the Canadiens 3-2.

DeBrincat opened the scoring for the Senators early in the second period when he was able to settle a loose puck, spin and fire a shot past Primeau for his first of the pre-season.

Pitlick regained the two-goal lead with a power-play goal for the Canadiens, but Pinto made it a one-goal game with a power-play goal late in the second.

The Canadiens jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead off a pair of goals by Evans.

Montreal had generated a number of chances, but opened the scoring at the 16-minute mark when Ottawa’s Nikita Zaitsev fanned on the puck allowing Pitlick to race down ice and feed Evans on the two-on-one.

With just under one minute remaining in regulation time, Mike Matheson backhanded the puck through the air and Evans was able to get a stick on the bouncing puck to beat Sogaard.

The Senators had a scare midway through the period when Ridley Greig blocked back-to-back shots and went right to the locker room, but he did return for the second period.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2022.