Montréal Canadiens at Ottawa Senators
NHL game between the Montréal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators on Jan 18, 2026. Final score: Montréal Canadiens 6, Ottawa Senators 5.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Jan 18, 2026 |
| Venue | Canadian Tire Centre |
| Montréal Canadiens score | 6 |
| Ottawa Senators score | 5 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jake Sanderson | D | 1 | 3 | 3 | 25:39 | 0.28 | 2.72 |
| 2nd | Cole Caufield | R | 2 | 1 | 3 | 19:19 | 0.52 | 2.04 |
| 3rd | Lane Hutson | D | 0 | 3 | 2 | 26:22 | 0.30 | 1.97 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Montréal Canadiens–Ottawa Senators) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 03:06 | MTL | Juraj Slafkovský | Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki | 4v5 | 1–0 |
| 1st 17:50 | MTL | Cole Caufield | Nick Suzuki, Lane Hutson | 4v5 | 2–0 |
| 2nd 00:42 | OTT | Brady Tkachuk | Claude Giroux, Jake Sanderson | 5v3 | 2–1 |
| 2nd 03:07 | OTT | Tim Stützle | Nick Cousins, Lars Eller | 5v5 | 2–2 |
| 2nd 04:26 | MTL | Josh Anderson | Mike Matheson, Noah Dobson | 5v5 | 3–2 |
| 2nd 15:31 | OTT | Dylan Cozens | Tim Stützle, Jake Sanderson | 5v4 | 3–3 |
| 2nd 18:24 | OTT | David Perron | Artem Zub, Jake Sanderson | 5v5 | 3–4 |
| 3rd 07:55 | OTT | Jake Sanderson | Ridly Greig | 5v5 | 3–5 |
| 3rd 15:36 | MTL | Juraj Slafkovský | Lane Hutson, Phillip Danault | 5v6 | 4–5 |
| 3rd 16:41 | MTL | Alexandre Carrier | Ivan Demidov, Josh Anderson | 5v5 | 5–5 |
| OT 00:33 | MTL | Cole Caufield | Lane Hutson | 3v3 | 6–5 |
Team Comparison
| Montréal Canadiens | Ottawa Senators | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 6 | 5 |
| Shots on goal | 19 | 34 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 2.41 | 4.53 |
| High-danger shots | 14 | 17 |
| Corsi % | 39.8% | 60.2% |
| Power play | 2/5 | 2/3 |
| Faceoff % | 53.3% | 46.7% |
| Hits | 28 | 26 |
| Blocks | 24 | 15 |
| Giveaways | 14 | 17 |
| Takeaways | 5 | 5 |
Montréal Canadiens Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole Caufield | R | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 19:19 | 0.52 | 2.04 |
| Lane Hutson | D | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 26:22 | 0.30 | 1.97 |
| Juraj Slafkovský | L | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 20:00 | 0.89 | 1.80 |
| Josh Anderson | R | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 12:53 | 0.07 | 1.39 |
| Nick Suzuki | C | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 21:25 | 0.38 | 1.33 |
| Alexandre Carrier | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17:12 | 0.02 | 0.95 |
| Mike Matheson | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 23:57 | 0.02 | 0.94 |
| Noah Dobson | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 21:54 | 0.02 | 0.74 |
| Phillip Danault | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10:59 | 0.00 | 0.59 |
| Ivan Demidov | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 15:07 | 0.17 | 0.49 |
| Joe Veleno | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15:32 | 0.02 | 0.25 |
| Brendan Gallagher | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:48 | 0.00 | 0.20 |
| Zachary Bolduc | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:36 | 0.24 | 0.15 |
| Alexandre Texier | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:56 | 0.00 | 0.10 |
| Arber Xhekaj | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7:40 | 0.00 | 0.10 |
| Kaiden Guhle | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:42 | 0.00 | 0.05 |
| Oliver Kapanen | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:04 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Jake Evans | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:20 | 0.07 | 0.00 |
Ottawa Senators Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Sanderson | D | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 25:39 | 0.28 | 2.72 |
| Tim Stützle | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 22:13 | 0.32 | 1.39 |
| Claude Giroux | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17:35 | 0.00 | 0.79 |
| Artem Zub | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 21:45 | 0.00 | 0.74 |
| Dylan Cozens | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 13:17 | 0.25 | 0.70 |
| Nick Cousins | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10:50 | 0.02 | 0.69 |
| Ridly Greig | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17:30 | 0.00 | 0.69 |
| Brady Tkachuk | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 16:14 | 1.14 | 0.65 |
| Lars Eller | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9:56 | 0.15 | 0.64 |
| David Perron | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10:37 | 0.52 | 0.45 |
| Tyler Kleven | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15:57 | 0.06 | 0.30 |
| Drake Batherson | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14:54 | 0.19 | 0.15 |
| Fabian Zetterlund | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10:36 | 0.07 | 0.15 |
| Nick Jensen | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17:36 | 0.02 | 0.05 |
| Shane Pinto | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 18:14 | 0.76 | 0.05 |
| Michael Amadio | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13:21 | 0.05 | 0.00 |
| Jordan Spence | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14:51 | 0.02 | 0.00 |
| Thomas Chabot | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21:42 | 0.13 | -0.10 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Montembeault | Montréal Canadiens | 29 | 34 | 85.3% | -1.83 | W |
| Leevi Meriläinen | Ottawa Senators | 13 | 19 | 68.4% | -2.57 | O |
Analysis
The Montréal Canadiens defeated the Ottawa Senators 6–5 on Jan 18, 2026, a one-goal game.
Ottawa Senators generated 4.53 expected goals to Montréal Canadiens's 2.41 — Ottawa Senators owned the better of the chances but Montréal Canadiens took the game, the kind of split that usually means finishing or goaltending decided it.
Jake Sanderson led all skaters with a Game Score of 2.72 on 1 goal, 3 assists, 3 shots on goal.
Samuel Montembeault stopped 29 of 34, worth -1.83 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Montréal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators game?
The Montréal Canadiens beat the Ottawa Senators 6–5 on Jan 18, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Montréal Canadiens 6, Ottawa Senators 5.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Jake Sanderson led all skaters at 2.72, on 1G, 3A and 3 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Ottawa Senators generated 4.53 expected goals and Montréal Canadiens generated 2.41, so Ottawa Senators created the better chances. The scoreboard went the other way, which points to finishing or goaltending.
What were the shot totals?
Montréal Canadiens put 19 shots on goal and Ottawa Senators put 34. High-danger chances went 14 to 17.
How did the goaltenders play?
Samuel Montembeault stopped 29 of 34 (-1.83 goals saved above expected); Leevi Meriläinen stopped 13 of 19 (-2.57 goals saved above expected).