Montreal Canadiens & Ottawa Senators meet in Tuesday night battle at the Bell Centre

The Montreal Canadiens biggest rival is the Boston Bruins, but in recent years the rivalry with the Ottawa Senators has heated up a couple of notches.

Conceivably, this gives a reason bigger than any other to watch the two teams lock horns, and battle it out for two points. As the season winds down, the Habs intensity will need to increase, and it certainly has. Brady Tkachuk and the Senators always bring it, for every game against Montreal - and in game, after every scrum - with each game serving as an installment in a series of rivalry games.

Each time the two teams meet, it always gives so much more to the fans than they could hope for. The chippiness along the boards, and in front of the net after the whistle drives up the hatred. Neither team is going to back down to the other, and this often leads to spirited bouts.

With the playoffs so close, Montreal is still looking to get into a healthy position to book their ticket, and the Senators currently occupy the first wildcard spot. The Canadiens' top line is hot like molten lava. Ottawa has upgraded with Dylan Cozens, and they always bring their best against Montreal.

Onto the game

It didn't take very long for the Canadiens to strike, and ignite the Bell Centre crowd. Christian Dvorak put the moves on Linus Ullmark, pulling him out of position with a quick head-fake, and backhand-forehand finish. David Savard and Brendan Gallagher drew an assist each on the tally.

Six minutes into the period, the shots are even at 3-3, and the game hasn't ramped up physically yet, but Josh Anderson finished a bone-crunching him. A few moments before that, Gallagher got interfered with significantly, to the point of falling to the ice. But there was no call on the play.

And to the dismay of the Bell Centre faithful, the Canadiens are the first to take a penalty. Juraj Slafkovsky is in the box for interference against Tim Stutzle.

Mike Matheson made a key shotblock against Stutzle, who was served the puck on a platter by Jake Sanderson. This sparked the Habs' kill, and Jake Evans drew a penalty against Fabian Zetterlund for hooking.

With their penalty done, Slafkovsky is out for the power play, and the Habs have set up shop in the Senators zone. The top unit couldn't formulate any kind of scoring opportunities, so the second unit is out. They also were unable to do anything, with Joshua Roy getting the best scoring chance, but Ullmark turned it aside.

Ottawa had their best chance of the period off a broken play. Shane Pinto had a wide-open cage, and Samuel Montembeault showed his best Carey Price impression, flashing the leather. It was a pure act of grand larceny.

It isn't anything really worth noting, however, Habs captain Nick Suzuki made a point to take a puck away from Thomas Chabot after a whistle. I felt the true competitive fire come out of Suzuki at that moment. It's a silly scenario, but he was defending his home barn, and essentially saying to Chabot, "That is my puck."

Jayden Struble had himself a nice end to his shift, converging hard on the forecheck with a booming check.

It's a fast sport, and the next sequence was a three-on-two, and Drake Batherson's shot was perfectly placed right under the bar. The game is tied with three minutes to go, exactly how it should be. Montreal is a lot closer to Ottawa in competitive terms than any Senators fan would tell you.

Montreal is trailing the Senators by two shots 11-9, but the combattants are knotted at one goal apiece.

Second Period

One minute in, and both teams have traded chances, though no shot ever occured. Then Suzuki had a puck bounce on him in the low slot. It was almost a sure goal, had he connected with the puck.

Arber Xhekaj, who is good for a major penalty each time the two teams battle, is headed to the box for delay of game (flipping the puck over the glass).

Senators are back to the power play, and Matheson made an awful turnover on the Canadiens side of the neutral zone. Thankfully David Savard was back to cover for his partner, cutting off Tkachuk's rush to the net. Montembeault handled the shot clean, and almost like it was a routine stop.

Jayden Struble made a briliiant defensive stick check on Cozens in the low-slot, leaning heavy on his stick. He then collected the puck, and in one motion cleared it out of the zone with a perfect backhand dump.

The crowd was brought to cheers for the key defensive play by No. 47.

Slafkovsky just missed by centimetres firing a one-touch half-slapper just beside the shortside post. Hutson put the puck on a platter, and Slafkovsky did what he has built the confidence to start doing with more regularity, teeing up a howitzer a one-touch shot. It's what the entire fanbase wants No. 20 to be doing with more regularity.

Hutson is all over the ice, down in the right low slot, floating around the faceoff dot. Caufield took notice finding a pocket, and No. 48 hit him with a nice feed. Caufield came up short, thanks to a timely stop by Ullmark.

Just after the 12-minute mark, the Senators set up shop in the Habs zone, cycling the puck, and leaning heavy on them with a heavy forecheck.

In transition, however, Joel Armia and Jake Evans broke down through the neutral zone. Armia looked off Evans, who pursued the net. As Evans arrived, Armia hit him with a perfect saucer pass, and he got off a great shot, but it got turned aside.

A few moments later, Senators goal scorer Drake Batherson got called for boarding against Dvorak. Somewhat of a funny coincidence, considering they both scored for their respective team.

The Habs are off to the power play, looking to pull ahead of the Senators. With the penalty 53 seconds old, Slafkovsky is off to the box for holding. After he and Artem Zub got into a battle, Slaf got caught with his arm around Zub.

Four on four for 1:07, and then the Senators get an abbreviated power play. Ridly Greig is driving everybody nuts, banging bodies, and shoving after the whistle. Watch for something to develop from it, as the game winds down.

Montreal played with the viper, and got bit by the venom - Michael Amadio swept home a point shot that had a few funky bounces en route to the net. 2-1 Senators and Slafkovsky is none too pleased with himself.

19 seconds remain on the kill, and the Canadiens have done a solid job defending the rush and cutting off plays at their blueline. Their forecheck has been quick and heavy, which has challenged the Senators' attack,

I find myself furstrated at times, seeing lackadaisical forechecks, allowing the Senators' defenseman to collect the puck off the boards, and work it up to the blueline, with little disruption.

The hockey gods heard me, and Zub was assessed a minor penalty about a minute later for tripping Patrik Laine. Not fun watching him fall to the ice like that.

Right after the Habs set up their power play Caufield teed up Suzuki in the slot, and he got every bit of his slapshot on the catch-and-release. Ullmark felt the shot for sure.

You can feel the Senators cheating on Laine, and it has opened up Suzuki on his off wing to criss cross with Hutson at the top of the zone, and try to create confusion. With the left side locked up by the Senators penalty killers, Slafkovsky has sat on the half-wall on his off wing firing heat at Ullmark, on multiple occasions tonight.

1:16 remains on the clock, and the Senators look likely to ride their lead into the second intermission. That is precisely what happened.

Third Period

The crowd is electric, and trying to will the Canadiens toward their next goal, the tying goal, that is still not a guarantee.

Hutson tried to hit Ullmark with a quick snapshot, but it's still a work in progress. No stress about, because he does something else rather well. That passing the puck thing, and he'll figure the rest out.

Ottawa holds the shot edge 20-18. But Laner heard me talking, and decided to take a shot against Ullmark. Hutson had the entire arena thinking he was passing the puck, and he struck at the last second, firing a wrister past Ullmark's right shoulder for his fifth goal of the season.

Hutson now has 53 points, tying him with Quinn Hughes rookie season total, which earned him the Calder Trophy in

I have to hand it to Joshua Roy, who played a very strong, smart game after I challenged him in a recent article.

Montembeault let in the stinkiest of stinkers, off a point shot by Travis Hamonic that weaved it's way between his pads. The Canadiens battled hard to tie the game, and the puck luck turned sour

Suzuki nearly put Tyler Kleven through the boards with a nasty hit on the forecheck. Kleven came off the ice, and I had some prime Pavel Datsyuk truck-stick vibes. It was very Peter Forberg'ian.

Suzuki is ready for the playoffs, and anybody who wants to argue, go yell at a wall. This guy is the Canadiens No. 1 centre, and his intensity is at a calm, cool 12/10. Montreal is down, but they are battling for the tying goal.

Josh Anderson pounced on the juiciest of rebounds on the doorstep and fired home a quick wrister. His 11th goal of the season was assisted by Alexandre Carrier and Dvorak.

Newhook just whiffed on a one-timer feed from Laine on his strong side, which prompted the crowd to collectively let out a huge sigh. What a close call that was.

Anderson has put a big stamp on the third period scoring the tying tally, before drawing a penalty against Pinto for tripping. Thanks to his speed, he forced Pinto to reach out his stick and tripped up No. 17.

Ottawa has caused problems for the Habs in the faceoff dot, really limiting the Habs through 54 minutes and change. The Canadiens power play is zero for three tonight to this point. And the Senators penalty killers haven't let up.

This has got playoff vibes, and seven games of this would be glorious. Suzuki sat behind the play and crept in to pull an Emil Heineman shot rebound off Ullmark's pads to pull Montreal ahead. Captain Clutch came up big for his 70th point of the season.

Immediately after in the Habs' next offensive charge, Caufield worked around the zone and fired a quick wrister at Ullmark. I think a Caufield goal is the only thing that this game is lacking. That, and a tilt between Arber and Brady.

2:20 remains on the clock, and Ullmark has been pulled for the extra attacker. Big faceoff ahead for Dvorak. Claude Giroux wins another draw, but that matters not, because Anderson collected a great pass, after a great passing play from Dvorak and Evans. The puck is in the net, and Montreal has a 5-3 lead.

New Dad Gally has iced the game with his 16th of the season, with Stutzle shooting himself into his net following the puck.

What a sweet, sweet win against the Senators, who have every reason to be winning this game. But such is not the case tonight. Go home, Brady.

Olé olé olé. Another big effort collectively from every player on the Canadiens bench, it was a team effort. Montreal put together a night that is playoff-race-like.

Three stars

First - Josh Anderson, Second - Nick Suzuki and Third - Dvorak

The Bell Centre serenaded Anderson, who is battling his heart out to be here and push for the playoffs. He is not playing at 100, and he has battled through so much adversity. Anderson is power and energizing the Habs with his hardnosed, speedy-skating game.