Cole Caufield had two goals and an assist, including the overtime winner, to give the Montreal Canadiens a 6–5 victory in Ottawa. Jake Sanderson had a goal and three assists for the Sens, who also lost to Montreal in the rink's first game 30 years ago tonight.

With starting goalie Linus Ullmark on a personal leave of absence since Dec. 28, speculation intensified online to the point that the Senators released an unusual public statement condemning what general manager Steve Staios described as “completely fabricated and false stories” circulating on social media.

Three weeks ago, the Ottawa Senators had it all figured out and were on course to save their season. They've fallen hard since.

The Montreal Canadiens were in Ottawa to face the Senators on Saturday night, attempting to returning to their winning ways […]

The Montreal Canadiens (26-15-7) are looking to get back in the winning column tonight as they take on the Ottawa Senators (22-19-5) in an important game against a divisional rival.

Linus Ullmark’s return may be coming soon. Ottawa Senators head coach Travis Green said that they plan for Ullmark to travel with the team on their upcoming road trip, Sportsnet’s Alex Adams reported on Saturday following the Ottawa’s 6-5 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

The Senators started Duchesne’s first season at the Civic Centre with Rick Bowness and assistant Alain Vigneault behind the bench. They were fired in November, and then Dave Allison had a brief tenure before newly-appointed general manager Pierre Gauthier brought in Martin.

The Senators and Canadiens christened the Canadian Tire Centre in 1996, and they'll meet again on Saturday to mark the building's 30th anniversary.