Senators make their point for Michael Andlauer with win over Habs

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SENATORS 6, HABS 2

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This two points meant a lot to Michael Andlauer.

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Facing the Montreal Canadiens for the first time since he sold the share he held in the club for 14 seasons to purchase the Ottawa Senators, the club’s new owner was in the house as his team pulled off a 6-2 victory in front of a sellout of 19,246 Thursday night at the Canadian Tire Centre.

Speaking to RDS before the game, Andlauer told the network in an interview that was aired after the first period he was nervous about this one, but the Senators scored one of their most decisive wins of the season.

Asked if Andlauer may have enjoyed the win the most, interim coach Jacques Martin said with a smile: “Probably. That’s well deserved for him.”

Parker Kelly, Mathieu Joseph, Vladimir Tarasenko, Rourke Chartier, Tim Stutzle, and Brady Tkachuk did the scoring while goaltender Joonas Korpisalo was solid in the net. Stutzle had a three-point effort while Artem Zub chipped in with two assists.

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It’s only the Senators second win in the last eight games, but it’s one of the best efforts they’ve had this season. Korpisalo made the necessary stops as the Habs pushed to try to get back into this game in the second period and the Senators received timely goals.

“I thought it was a really good effort for 60 minutes,” said Martin. “We played on our toes. The last couple of games I’ve liked how much time we’ve spent in the offensive zone. That was a step in the right direction.”

It was Korpisalo’s second straight win in the Ottawa net and he moved his record to 9-15-0 this season. Michael Pezzetta and Cole Caufield scored for the Habs.

“Korpi kept us in the game when he needed to, we played much faster and I thought it was just a good group effort,” said Joseph.

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SORRY GALLY

Brendan Gallagher tried to get Stutzle to fight in the third period, but he wasn’t going to get caught up in that stupidity.

“You’re asking the wrong guy,” Stutzle said. “He’s been all over me, but I don’t really care. We’re up 5-1, there’s zero need to fight him. He told me I was scared of him. I see it completely different but that’s fine.”

Tkachuk wasn’t going to let a reporter with a leading question get him to offer up bulletin board material before the two teams face off Tuesday in Montreal.

“We have a lot of players ready to stick up for one another. I guess it’s a guy trying to do his job by getting under a special players’ skin,” Tkachuk said. “You’re trying to get me to say something so I’m just going to keep it to myself. Nice try though.”

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Tkachuk has been around long enough to know there’s no reason to bite on that line of questioning.

ONE CALLED BACK

The Senators were in control of this game through 40 minutes.

The club had a three-goal lead and it could have been more commanding.

What would have been a shorthanded effort by Claude Giroux was called back. Officials wasted no time confirming Kelly interfered with Habs’ goalie Cayden Primeau.

“Kelly impaired Cayden Primeau’s ability to play his position in the crease prior to Claude Giroux’s goal,” the NHL’s situation room said in its decision.

OFF THE GLASS

Taking a shift with Tkachuk and Stutzle, Tarasenko gave the club a 4-1 lead with 1:06 left in the second. Tarasenko fired a blast that Primeau had no chance on … Give Chartier credit for going to the front of the net to restore a two-goal lead for the Senators at 9:51 of the second. He was able to pick up a rebound and push it by Primeau for Chartier’s second of the year. That’s his first in 21 games. Chartier’s last goal was Oct. 26 against the Isles … The Habs were awarded the first power play of the game with 4:14 left in the second. D Erik Brannstrom was called for tripping Montreal’s Brendan Gallagher. It hardly looked like a penalty. Ottawa did a good job killing off the power play …This rivalry need to get back to what it used to be. Zack MacEwen and Pezzetta had a spirited fight at centre late in the first.

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THIS N’ THAT

Korpisalo didn’t face many shots in the first. Caufield pulled the Habs to within a goal on the first one he’d faced in eight minutes by firing a shot that deflected off Korpisalo’s glove and into the net at 13:25 … That sigh of relief you heard around 7:30 p.m. came from Stutzle. He blasted his first in 10 games by Primeau to open up a 2-0 advantage at 11:07 of the first. It was his eighth of the year and first since Dec. 23 against Pittsburgh … Tkachuk opened the scoring with his 19th of the season at 8:40 of the first. He beat Primeau on the blocker side and that’s 22 points for Tkachuk in 26 games vs. the Habs. That came just moments after Juraj Slafkovksy missed a golden opportunity at the end. It’s the 25th time this season the Senators have scored first … The Senators were trying to take advantage of the Habs, who scored a 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils Wednesday on the road. Montreal came into this game with a 1-7-0 record in the second game of a back-to-back … Korpisalo made a huge pad stop on Habs’ D Mike Matheson in alone only 4:30 into the first.

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THE LAST WORDS

Martin made one significant move Thursday.

Veteran defenceman Travis Hamonic was a healthy scratch for the first time in 40 games this season as Jacob Bernard-Docker returned for this one after sitting out the club’s last two games.

“He’s a kid that given us some pretty good games and he brings a little more quickness,” Martin said. “He’s a young player and when you don’t win sometimes you’ve got to bring some change to your lineup.

“With Travis, I think he brings certain elements. It wasn’t an indication of his play, we just to change the chemistry a little bit and take it from there.”

Bernard-Docker skated on the right side of Brannstrom in the third pairing.

bgarrioch@postmedia.com

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