MONTREAL (Ticker) -- The Montreal Canadiens have helped the Ottawa Senators get off to a fast start.
Jason Spezza had a goal and an assist and Marian Hossa collected three assists as the Senators cruised to a 6-2 victory over the Canadiens in the second meeting between the teams this season.
Ottawa opened the campaign with a 5-2 victory over Montreal before losing its next two games. The Senators have rebounded with four consecutive wins, including their second strong performance against the Canadiens.
"The score is no indication of the way the game is played," Ottawa coach Jacques Martin said. "I don't think we've been dominating the Canadiens just because we beat them twice. This is probably the best game my team has played all season."
The Canadiens followed their season-opening loss by winning five of six. They allowed only four goals during that stretch but exceeded that total on Saturday.
"We've allowed 11 goals against Ottawa in two games. That's too much to give up against the same team," Montreal coach Claude Julien said. "I have a lot of respect for their talent. It just shows, we just have to improve."
"Ottawa's the best team in the East," Montreal defenseman Sheldon Souray said. "The Senators are so good, you can't cheat against them. You can't afford to make a mistake against Ottawa."
Ottawa scored twice in the opening five minutes and had a 3-1 lead after Martin Havlat tallied on the power play at 7:09 of the second period. Havlat, who signed a one-year contract with the Senators on October 11, has a goal and two assists in two games this season.
"We've improved since Havlat is back," Martin said. "He makes a big difference on our hockey team."
"In the first five minutes of this game, we were down 2-0," Julien said. "You can't afford to play against Ottawa like that. It was an uphill struggle for the other 55 minutes."
Souray notched his second goal of the game to bring Montreal within 3-2 early in the third, but Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson and Radek Bonk scored in the final 17 minutes for Ottawa.
The Senators have outscored their opponents 18-4 during their winning streak and have 15 goals in their last three games.
Montreal goaltender Jose Theodore stopped just 25 of 31 shots but was victimized by a couple of bad bounces. Vaclav Varada opened the scoring at 4:01 of the first when the puck went off his skate and past a sliding Theodore.
Peter Schaefer doubled the lead for Ottawa just 37 seconds later when he drove past defenseman Craig Rivet and put a backhander behind Theodore.
"I was lucky on my goal," Schaefer said. "It came early and it helped. I don't know how I got so speedy. I just worked my way in. Before I knew it, I was right in front of Jose Theodore. I fired the puck and in it went."
Souray, who had his first career multi-goal game, halved the deficit with 4:40 remaining in the first period. He added his second goal 2:14 into the third, but Spezza responded quickly, scoring off a feed by Alfredsson 46 seconds later.
"The game was a lot closer than it looked," Montreal defenseman Stephane Quintal said. "Just like that first game in Ottawa, we missed our chances. (The Senators) have a way of making you pay for your mistakes."
Montreal finished a 4-2 homestand and played its eighth straight game without captain Saku Koivu, who is still sidelined with a sprained right knee.
