MONTREAL — The seemingly unstoppable train called the Montreal Canadiens rolled to another victory here Wednesday, but not before yet another spirited comeback by the Ottawa Senators.

The Canadiens pulled out a 4-3 shootout victory after Alex Galchenyuk and Lars Eller beat Senators goaltender Robin Lehner with sweet moves in the penalty shot competition. Jakob Silfverberg was the lone Senators shooter to beat Canadiens goaltender Carey Price.

With the victory, the Canadiens (18-5-4) padded their lead atop the Eastern Conference, but they did allow the Senators (13-8-6) back into this game after holding a 3-1 lead late in the second period.

The loss didn’t sit well with the Senators, but the point moved them four clear of the Winnipeg Jets, who currently hold down the ninth spot in the Eastern Conference.

It was the 10th consecutive time a Senators game has been decided by one goal. The Senators are 4-2-4 during that stretch.

Once again, the Senators refused to go away.

Patrick Wiercioch beat Price with wrist shot from the slot at the 1:50 mark of the third period, tying the game 3-3.

It was Wiercioch’s third goal in five games and his shot appeared to catch Price off guard as it slipped between the pads of the Canadiens goaltender.

Suddenly, it was a brand new game.

The Canadiens had appeared to be in complete control, leading 3-1 with time ticking down in the second period, but Daniel Alfredsson narrowed the gap to 3-2 with only two seconds left in the second.

Alfredsson’s power-play goal was originally waved off by officials, who believed his shot had caught the crossbar. After video review, however, Alfredsson was credited with his sixth goal of the season.

Up to that point the game had been all about the potent power plays.

Mika Zibanejad had also scored with the man advantage for the Senators, while Brendan Gallagher and P.K. Subban had scored for the Canadiens on the power play. Eller also scored for the Canadiens at even strength.

With the game deadlocked 3-3 late, the Senators once again found themselves in penalty trouble, but Lehner held his ground to send the game to extra time. He also caught a break when Galchenyuk ripped a shot off the crossbar with 1:25 remaining in regulation.

The Bell Centre has an intriguing history for Lehner.

He made his NHL debut here as a 19-year-old on Oct. 16, 2010, as an emergency replacement for Brian Elliott. With Pascal Leclaire injured and Elliott serving as the starter, Lehner was called up from Binghamton of the American Hockey League.

Yet when Elliott suffered a broken skate blade before the start of the third period of that game, Lehner was thrust into action. He didn’t allow a goal in more than four minutes before Elliott returned.

Lehner was somewhat of a surprise starter Wednesday. While he had picked up a win and a shootout loss in the Senators’ previous two games, Ben Bishop had stolen Ottawa a 2-1 shootout victory in the previous meeting between the teams on Feb. 25. Bishop made 44 saves in that game.

While Price was shaking his head at allowing the Wiercioch third-period goal, he did come up with a few big stops of his own, including robbing Kyle Turris on a two-on-one break. Price made a sharp save off a Turris deflection late in overtime.

GAME FILE

CHEERS

The power plays. Both the Senators and Canadiens struck twice with the man advantage. Brendan Gallagher and P.K. Subban netted goals with the man advantage for Montreal, while Daniel Alfredsson and Mika Zibanejad scored power play goals for Ottawa.

JEERS

Carey Price, Canadiens

Price had his moments, but the Patrick Wiercioch goal came at a bad time, with his team trying to nurse a third-period lead. In the last meeting between the teams, Price allowed a weak goal to Dave Dziurzynski.

WHY THEY LOST

Robin Lehner, Senators

Lehner didn’t have an answer for Alex Galchenyuk and Lars Eller in the shootout, but the goalie magic continues for the Senators. Last time the teams met, Ben Bishop made 44 saves in regulation and extra time. This time, Lehner stopped 42 through three periods and overtime. Lehner outplayed Price, generally considered one of the best netminders in the NHL.

YET ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE HITS

Late in the second, Eric Gryba crossed the Canadiens’ blue-line and was blindsided by Canadiens defenceman Alexei Emelin. Emelin didn’t appear to catch Gryba in the head, but the hit was late. Emelin received an interference penalty and Gryba returned.