The Canadiens ended a bad streak on Saturday night at the Bell Centre.

Cole Caufield scored twice, Samuel Montembeault stopped 24 shots and the Montreal hockey club beat the Ottawa Senators 4-1.

The Habs thus ended a nine-game losing streak against the Senators (0-8-1). They had not beaten their rival from the Canadian capital since March 19, 2022.

The Canadiens faced three division rivals to start the season. They have a 2-1-0 record, after also beating the Toronto Maple Leafs 1-0 on Wednesday at the Bell Centre, then losing 6-4 to the Bruins on Thursday in Boston.

“That puts us in it! They are three good offensive teams and we had a trip,” acknowledged Montembeault.

Caufield became the first player since Tomas Plekanec in 2014-15 to score in each of the Canadiens’ first three games of the campaign.

Emil Heineman, with his first career goal, and Alex Newhook also scored for the Canadiens. Juraj Slafkovsky had two assists.

“We put pucks deep in their zone and we didn’t turn over a lot, especially compared to Thursday. It was a lot better,” said defenseman Mike Matheson.

Rookie defenseman Lane Hutson had another strong game, collecting his fifth career NHL point in five games.

“He understands where to find spaces and has the skills with his stick to find spaces,” head coach Martin St-Louis said of the new fan favorite. “His skills allow him to extend possession of the puck.”

“You can make a lot of plays on the ice, but his skills allow him to find the best play. And that’s what good players do: they find the best plays,” St-Louis added.

Tim Stützle scored the lone goal for the Senators (1-1-0). Linus Ullmark made 22 saves.

Heineman was back in the Canadiens lineup after skipping his turn against the Bruins. Alex Barré-Boulet was left out.

The Canadiens will play their next game on Monday, when the Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Bell Centre.

Standards found
The two teams exchanged a few pleasantries at the start of the match, but avoided any excesses.

The Canadiens opened the scoring at 10:36, with one second left on a power play. Christian Dvorak connected with Heineman, who was alone in the slot, and the 22-year-old Swede scored with a one-timer.

“I’m going to remember it for a long time. It was unbelievable. It’s hard to describe,” Heineman said of the crowd’s reaction to his first NHL goal. “I’m glad we won, too. It was a good day!”

The Senators were down again when Artem Zub was penalized for a sloppy cross-check on Josh Anderson after a long scrum around the visitors’ net as Ullmark failed to cover the puck.

Oliver Kapanen had two good opportunities during the Habs’ power play, but didn’t take advantage.

The Canadiens instead widened the gap to five on five, at 15:03 of the first period. Caufield found the opening over Ullmark’s right shoulder thanks to a precise shot despite a difficult angle.

The Senators bothered the Canadiens in the second period, holding a 12-4 advantage in shots on goal.

Montembeault had to be vigilant to keep his team in the game. He was particularly alert against three shots from Noah Gregor – the first on a point-blank deflection, the second on a rebound and the third when the Senators forward’s shot deflected off the blade of defenceman Kaiden Guhle’s skate.

The Canadiens found their bite early in the third period. Ullmark frustrated Kirby Dach, who was set up in the slot. Then, the Senators goalie got lucky when Matheson hit the post on a penalty shot.

The Habs redeemed themselves moments after a power play ended. Newhook was able to advance into the slot and beat Ullmark on the shield side at 3:50.

The Senators finally broke through Montembeault’s wall 1:41 later. Stützle scored with a precise shot into the top of the net.

Montembeault thus conceded for the first time this season on the 67th shot directed at him.

“I think I’m confident, I’m seeing the puck well,” Montembeault said. “Tonight, the guys did a good job, especially on the penalty kill.”

Caufield restored the Habs’ three-goal cushion at 7:43, however. He poked a loose puck into the net after Ullmark made a save on Nick Suzuki, who had escaped.

Montembeault made a few good saves late in the game. He frustrated Shane Pinto twice on point-blank shots.