Byron gets 20th of the year with family in the crowd
Secondary scoring gives Canadiens a much-needed boost
Paul Byron said it was “something special” to receive a standing ovation after he was named the first star in the Canadiens’ 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators Sunday at the Bell Centre.
“I didn’t think I’d be a 20-goal scorer in the NHL,” said Byron, who hit that mark early in the third period.
“I’ve come a long way to reach that so it’s definitely a special moment. My wife and kids are here in the rink and it’s pretty cool for them to see.”
Byron came close to scoring No. 21. He put the puck behind Craig Anderson later in the third period but the goal was disallowed when a replay showed the speedster was half a step too fast and was offside on the play.
“It happens more than you think,” said Byron, who was picked up on waivers from Calgary prior to last season. “I try to hold the line there but I had one foot in the air and it was called back.
The win gave Montreal a sweep of the weekend series against Ottawa and allowed Montreal to open a four-point lead over the Senators atop the Atlantic Division.
While coach Claude Julien was pleased with his team’s performance, he tried to downplay the significance of the wins.
“Both teams understood how important these games were, but it’s not the end of the world.” said Julien. “The wins allowed us to stay top and it may help us down the road. Back-to-back games always seem to bring some excitement and I think we handled it well. Last night, we came back to take the lead, we lost it and then found a way to win.
“Tonight, we were in control from the get-go,” added Julien. “We parked last night’s win and came in with a new commitment. It wasn’t perfect. The power play needs to be better. There’s lots of room for improvement and that’s not a bad thing because it gives us things to work on.”
Plekanec opened the scoring at the 28-second mark and noted that games are a lot easier when you’re not playing from behind.
The biggest positive on the weekend was the return of the secondary scoring with Byron, Tomas Plekanec, Jordie Benn and Nathan Beaulieu scoring goals Sunday. Montreal produced seven goals and the players on the top line — Alex Radulov, Alex Galchenyuk and Max Pacioretty — failed to collect a point.
Carey Price wasn’t one of the three stars for the Canadiens, but his teammates were marvelling over a second-period toe save on Kyle Turris.
“We were talking about that after the period and I told him if I tried that, I’d blow out my hamstring,” said Benn.
The unsung hero theme was in play Saturday as the Canadiens kicked off the weekend with a 4-3 shootout win in Ottawa. Byron and Alex Radulov scored in the shootout with Byron getting credit for his third game-winning goal in a shootout. Those goals are not included his 20.
The Canadiens have won 12 of their 20 overtime games this season and are 6-0 since Julien replaced Michel Therrien. Four of those games were decided in overtime while two went to a shootout.
Phillip Danault ended a 22-game goal drought with his 11th of the season and he also set up Andrew Shaw for his 11th goal of the season. Brendan Gallagher scored his eighth goal of the season to give the Canadiens a 3-2 lead midway through the third period, but Erik Karlsson scored to salvage a point for Ottawa.