National Hockey League
Ottawa 5, Montreal 0
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 28, 2023
Where: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario
Referees: Marc Joannette, Wes McCauley
Linesmen: David Brisebois, Jesse Marquis
Attendance: 20034

Claude Giroux collected two goals and an assist and Anton Forsberg made 28 saves to fuel the host Ottawa Senators to a 5-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

The multi-point performance was the third in as many games for Giroux. He has four goals and as many assists during his four-game point streak.

Forsberg improved to 5-0-0 in his career versus Montreal. He turned aside all four shots he faced in the third period to secure his second shutout of the season and third career. Forsberg made 22 saves in Ottawa's 4-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 3.

Alex DeBrincat opened the scoring and Mathieu Joseph and Derick Brassard also tallied to send the Senators to their third straight victory and hand the Canadiens their third consecutive loss (0-2-1).

Ottawa will look to complete a home-and-home sweep on Tuesday when the teams meet in Montreal.

Giroux ignited the Senators' scoring frenzy in the second period by lofting a lead pass out of his defensive zone. DeBrincat caught up to the puck and wristed a shot from the right circle that beat Sam Montembeault (31 saves) inside the far post just 22 seconds into the period.

The goal was the 16th of the season for DeBrincat, who notched three assists in Ottawa's 3-2 victory over Montreal on Dec. 14.

The Senators doubled the advantage at 7:59 of the second period after Ridly Greig's soft pass through traffic found Giroux at the back post for an easy conversion.

Giroux attempted to return the favor to Greig 93 seconds later, however the former's attempted backhanded feed caromed off the skate of Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj and into the net. The goal was Giroux's 19th of the season.

Joseph and Brassard each scored late in the third period to seal the win.

Montreal's Owen Beck blocked a shot and had a minus-1 rating in his NHL debut. The 18-year-old was recalled from the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League on an emergency basis on Friday.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Montreal   Ottawa
N/A Points Claude Giroux 3
N/A Goals Claude Giroux 2
N/A Assists Nick Holden 2
N/A Power Play Goals Claude Giroux 1
N/A Short Handed Goals Mathieu Joseph 1
Sam Montembeault .886 Save Percentage Anton Forsberg 1.000
Sam Montembeault 31 Saves Anton Forsberg 28
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Montreal 28 0 0-3 2-3 6 23
Ottawa 36 5 1-3 3-3 6 22
Upcoming Games
  • Ottawa will play their next game on the road against Montreal. The Senators have a W/L % of .522 after a win and .423 after a loss.
  • Montreal will play their next game at home against Ottawa. The Canadiens have a W/L % of .300 after a win and .467 after a loss.