Bulis scores twice in 3-2 win

OTTAWA (AP) -- The Montreal Canadiens enjoyed a new perspective on the puck's fickle bounces.

Jan Bulis scored his second goal of the game with 7:59 left, and Jose Theodore made 38 saves to lead Montreal to a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.

Bulis also scored a short-handed goal in the first to help the Canadiens win for the first time in three meetings with Ottawa this season. They won despite being outshot 40-13.

"We were outplayed, but there were some games before where we outplayed the other team most of the time and it just didn't go in for us," Bulis said. "It's part of the game and thank God the luck turned our way this time."

On the winner, Bulis found himself free in the slot to backhand a shot over Patrick Lalime's right shoulder after the puck came out from behind the net off Yanic Perreault's skate.

"We got the breaks tonight," Perreault said. "It's maybe the first time this year the puck has turned on our side."

Donald Audette scored just 30 seconds after Bulis' goal in the first to put Montreal up 2-0.

Jason Spezza and Wade Redden tied it with power-play goals for the Senators, whose last seven goals have come with the man advantage.

"You can't expect to win when you get down two," Redden said. "Obviously we battled back, but we don't want to get in that position."

The Senators, who outscored Montreal 11-4 while winning their first two meetings, scored a team-record five power-play goals Thursday in a 5-2 win over Columbus.

Theodore stopped numerous Ottawa chances as the Senators outshot the Canadiens in all three periods, including 18-3 in the second.

"I was just concentrating on stopping the next shot," Theodore said. "We haven't scored three goals in a while, and when we went ahead 3-2, I knew we had to get the two points."

Theodore also caught a break moments before Bulis' go-ahead goal when Martin Havlat lost control of the puck as he swept across in front of a wide-open goal.

"You've got to be lucky to be good, and good to be lucky," Senators forward Peter Schaefer said. "He deserved it. He played well and he earned them the win tonight."

With Montreal having just 10 goals in its previous nine games, Canadiens coach Claude Julien juggled his lines for a sixth straight game. Rookie Michael Ryder was left out of the lineup for the first time this season and checking line center Joe Juneau moved to left wing on the top line with Saku Koivu and Richard Zednik.

Bulis scored a short-handed goal 8:48 in when he drove a slap shot from the left faceoff circle past Lalime, just inside the left post.

Audette made it 2-0 at 9:18 when he converted Mike Ribeiro's pass to complete a two-on-one.

Spezza, who hadn't scored in seven games since a 6-2 win in Montreal on Oct. 25, redirected Daniel Alfredsson's point shot past Theodore at 18:51 to draw the Senators to 2-1.

Theodore came up with big saves on Schaefer and Havlat in the first five minutes of the second, but the Ottawa power-play -- which went 1-for-3 in the first -- connected on its first opportunity of the second.

Canadiens defenseman Sheldon Souray drew a penalty at 13:26 when he slashed Marian Hossa as the Senators' leading scorer nearly circled Montreal's zone twice with the puck.

Redden scored on the ensuing power play, tying it at 2 when he drove a slap shot under Theodore at 14:07 for his second of the season.

Game notes
Canadiens D Stephane Quintal returned after missing three games. Quintal was taken out of the lineup before a 2-1 loss in Buffalo on Nov. 7 because of an irregular heartbeat. He was with his wife when she gave birth to the couple's first child Wednesday, and was rested for Thursday's 3-1 loss in New York to the Islanders. ... Senators D Karel Rachunek returned after missing three games because of a sore back. ... Lalime made his eighth straight start against Montreal, the last six against Theodore. D Sheldon Souray (six) and Perreault (five) are the only Canadiens with more than three goals. ... Ottawa junior coach Brian Kilrea was honored prior to the game for his recent Hall of Fame induction.