Kuba leads Senators past Canadiens 2-1 in OT

[March 17, 2012]  OTTAWA (AP) -- Filip Kuba scored 3:07 into overtime Friday night as the Ottawa Senators moved into first place in the Northeast Division with a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.

After taking a pass from Daniel Alfredsson, Kuba beat Carey Price with a slap shot from the top of the left faceoff circle. Erik Karlsson assisted on Kuba's winner, giving him four points in his last three games and 71 points in 71 games on the season.

Kuba scored on Ottawa's 33rd shot as the Senators passed idle Boston for first place in the Northeast, although the Bruins have two games in hand.

Colin Greening also scored for the Senators, while Tomas Plekanec had a goal for the Canadiens.

The Senators snapped a two-game skid and earned a little redemption from their 3-2 shootout loss in Montreal on Wednesday night. They have also earned points in five straight games.

Ben Bishop faced just 14 shots for Ottawa.

Despite the loss, the Canadiens also have points in five straight games, including three wins, as they continue to climb from the basement of the Eastern Conference.

Greening scored at 6:27 of the third period to tie it after Zack Smith outskated the Montreal defense and got the puck on goal before Greening backhanded a rebound past a fallen Price.

Despite 10 combined power plays through the first two periods, there was only one goal scored -- and it was short-handed.

Plekanec made his way into Montreal's zone with Petteri Nokelainen in the penalty box and fired a quick shot that seem to catch Bishop a bit off guard. Plekanec looked as though he was going to try and split the Ottawa defense, but after taking a quick step to his left, he recorded his second short-handed goal of the season, and ninth for the Canadiens, at 8:18 of the first period.

NOTES: The 21-year-old Karlsson is the youngest defenseman to reach 70 points since the Rangers' Brian Leetch in the 1988-89 season. ... Friday's game was the second of three over a nine-day span between Ottawa and Montreal. The Canadiens were 3-2 winners in a shootout at home March 14 and the two will meet for the sixth and final time this season in Montreal on March 23. ... Plekanec's goal was his 139th with the Canadiens, two behind Ryan Walter for 40th in team history.

[Associated Press]

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