Three Takeaways from Senators 5-4 Win Over Canadiens

The Ottawa Senators beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 last night and head into the All-Star break on a four-game winning streak and a plus .500 record. Given where they were just a week ago, it’s a much more confident team headed toward the break. Adding four games in a row to the win column can do that.

Senators’ captain Brady Tkachuk scored the game-winning goal for the Senators last night. Tim Stutzle had a strong game, scoring two goals and adding two assists. Finally, both Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux scored for the visiting Senators.

In goal, Anton Forsberg also won his fourth game in a row. While he allowed four goals, he also made timely saves (28 of them) and stopped enough rubber to allow his team to win. He now has a winning record on the season, at 11-10-2. Altjough the four goals didn’t do much for his goals-against-average (now at 3.13) or his save percentage (at .905), a win is a win.

Takeaway One: Brady Tkachuk Reachers 50 Points on the Season

No surprise, Brady Tkachuk had another strong game for the Senators in last night’s 5-4 win in Montreal. He scored the game-winning goal with just 1:28 left in the third period; and, he also added an assist. He’s been productive lately and has scored three goals and four points in his last three games.

The solid performance bumped Tkachuk past the 50-point milestone in 50 games. That point-a-game pace helped him become the fastest Senators’ player to reach the 50-point milestone since Mark Stone did it in the 2018-19 season. Tkachuk now has scored 20 goals and 31 assists (for 51 points) in 50 games.

Related: OTTAWA SENATORS MAKE OUT LIKE BANDITS IN ALEX DEBRINCAT TRADE

Takeaway Two: Tim Stutzle Puts Together a Four-Point Game

Tim Stutzle is having his best season ever. He had another strong game – four points in total – for the Senators against the Canadiens. Of his two goals and two assists, a couple of his points came with the man advantage.

Last season, Stutzle scored 22 goals in 79 gmaes. He’s matched that total in only 46 games this season. In his 79 games last season, he also totaled 58 points. He’s only nine points shy of that mark this season in 33 fewer games.

Stutzle has put up 22 goals and 27 assists (for 49 points) in 46 games. Amazingly, that scoring includes 20 points on the power play. If anything, Stutzle is getting hotter as the season progresses. In the month of January, he’s scored 10 goals and added eight assists (for 18 points) in 14 games.

Related: What Should the Ottawa Senators Do With Their Draft Picks?

Takeaway Three: Alex DeBrincat Scores in Second Game in a Row

Alex DeBrincat might finally be warming up again. In Montreal, he scored a power-play goal in the second period of Senators’ win.

DeBrincat now has scored 17 goals and added 24 assists (for 41 points) in 50 games on the season. Similar to his teammates mentioned above, he’s been productive on the power play – putting up 21 power-play points.

DeBrincat is just getting over a bit of a scoring slump. From January 1 until January 27, he only scored two goals and added a single assist (for three points) in 12 games. That is a poor pace for the prolific winger. However, DeBrincat has scored a goal in each of his last two games. Perhaps he’s waking up.

Related: Three Takeaways in Senators’ 5-0 Win Over Canadiens