Senators score 4 straight to overcome Canadiens’ 20,000th goal in 4-2 win.

Leclaire leads Sens over Canadiens

OTTAWA — Pascal Leclaire made 29 saves and Chris Neil scored Ottawa’s third unanswered goal 6:15 into the third period as the Senators ended the Montreal Canadiens’ four-game winning streak with a 4-2 victory Monday night.

Neil tipped a floating rebound of Mike Fisher’s shot into the net behind Montreal goalie Jaroslav Halak. A lengthy video review supported referee Bill McCreary’s ruling that the Senators forward had not made contact with the puck above the level of the crossbar.

Mike Cammalleri scored the Canadiens’ 20,000th regular-season goal to open the scoring in the first and Benoit Pouliot got his first Montreal goal to make it 2-0 midway through the opening period.

Peter Regin had a goal and an assist and Ryan Shannon and Chris Campoli also scored for Ottawa, which won its second in a row as Leclaire came up with a strong outing in his third straight start since returning from a broken cheekbone.

Halak, who made his fifth straight start, made 24 saves after facing an average of 46.5 shots during Montreal’s winning streak.

Shannon drew Ottawa even at 2 with a power-play goal 15:33 into the second. Regin picked up his second point of the game with an assist on the play after he got the Senators back into the game with his fourth goal at 12:48 of the first.

Cammalleri got the milestone 20,000th goal when he opened the scoring at 4:59, finishing off a fine passing play initiated by Andrei Markov and Andrei Kostitsyn with a shot from the slot into a wide open net for his team-leading 19th goal.

The 20,000-goal total includes all of Montreal’s regular-season goals since joining the NHL as a founding member in 1917, as well as the Canadiens’ regular-season goals from their first eight seasons in the National Hockey Association, the NHL’s predecessor.

Pouliot made it a two-goal lead with his third goal at 9:50, his first with Montreal since he was acquired in a trade with Minnesota.

Regin drew the Senators within 2-1 with his fourth goal at 12:48, moments after the huge contingent of Canadiens fans began chanting “Go Habs, Go!”

Leclaire kept Ottawa within a goal with several big stops, particularly late in the opening period. The Senators’ goalie made a huge glove save on Pouliot just moments after he turned aside Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez, containing a line that accounted for 10 of Montreal’s 13 first-period shots.

Shannon tied it 15:33 into the second when he scored off a faceoff win by Regin in the Canadiens’ zone, five seconds after Jaroslav Spacek has sent off for tripping.

The Senators had a potential go-ahead goal by Mike Fisher disallowed with 24.9 seconds left in the second. Referee Kerry Fraser immediately waved off the goal, ruling that Neil was in the crease and made incidental contact with Halak.

Campoli scored into an empty net with 46 seconds remaining.

NOTES: Hall of Famer Newsy Lalonde scored the first goal in Canadiens history in the team’s NHA debut on Jan. 19, 1910, 5:00 into a 9-4 loss to Renfrew. The Canadiens, who have won a record 24 Stanley Cups, celebrated the 100th anniversary of their foundation on Dec. 4. … Guy Lafleur scored the Canadiens’ 10,000th goal on Feb. 7. 1973, Montreal’s third goal in a 5-2 win over Pittsburgh. … Canadiens RW Georges Laraque was a healthy scratch. … Montreal G Carey Price briefly went to the dressing room before returning after he was hit on the ear by a puck while sitting on the bench early in the first.