OTTAWA -- Some trades are so small, they warrant a tweet and not much more.

That was the case in early February 2014 when the Montreal Canadiens acquired winger Dale Weise from the Vancouver Canucks for spare defenseman Raphael Diaz.

At least he was traded that time. Weise went to Vancouver via waivers from the New York Rangers in October 2011.

Who knew each time what kind of playoff warrior Weise would become wearing the Bleu, Blanc et Rouge, huh?

Weise's goal 8:47 into overtime Sunday night, after he tied the game with 5:47 to go in the third period, lifted the Habs to a 2-1 comeback win over the Ottawa Senators and to a commanding 3-0 series lead.

The 26-year-old from Winnipeg now has five playoff goals in two springs for the Canadiens -- three of them game winners.

"There's guys that have made careers on that, just finding a way to get it done and, listen, he's found a way," star Habs blueliner P.K. Subban said of Weise.

"The playoffs are about different guys stepping up," added Subban. "He stepped up in the past. He stepped up this year so far. He deserves all the attention he is getting. I'd rather take players that score big goals at the right time than score in the games that don't mean anything."

There was an OT winner in Game 1 at Tampa in the opening round last season, followed by a game winner in the second period of a win over the Boston Bruins in Game 3 in the next round.

Sunday's winner was special, but Weise said his tying goal in the third was just as huge to him.

"That was a big goal," he said. "I just felt like we were pressuring and pressuring, and we needed a good bounce like that to put the puck in the net. And thank goodness it was me."

With the blonde hair flowing as he skated down to the left faceoff dot and ripped a wrist shot past Craig Anderson for the winner, blink twice and maybe can you picture a legendary No. 10 capping a two-goal night in clutch fashion?

"I don't know if I feel that good," chuckled Weise. "I try to hone my inner Guy Lafleur sometimes with the long hair. I've got to score a lot more OT winners to feel that good."

Weise is no star but he's been a versatile player for this Canadiens team, playing up and down the lineup all season long and putting up 10 goals. Head coach Michel Therrien gave him first-line duty at times this season to spark the team. The coach is comfortable using him anywhere. And on Sunday night, with the Habs still shut out by Anderson for two and a half periods, Therrien went to his everything man again, switching Weise from Lars Eller' third line to Torrey Mitchell's fourth line.

Et voila, two huge goals by Weise.

Was it Weise magic or Therrien's genius?

"We'll say the genius of Therrien, make sure you tell him that, too," said Weise, laughing.

"But we got a little bit stale there -- I thought our top two lines were producing but I didn't think our third and fourth lines produced enough in the first half of the game. We shook things up and it worked."

And now the Habs are just one game away from a four-game sweep, all three wins by just one goal.

Can the Senators pick themselves off the mat?

"Nothing is lost yet," insisted Senators captain Erik Karlsson, who played one whale of a game. "We've got to play again Wednesday. We still feel good about ourselves. We've just got to keep it going and take it one game at a time. We'll just focus on Wednesday. We'll play that game and we'll go from there."

Suddenly the team of destiny that went 21-3-3 to end the regular season has lost three straight, perhaps running on fumes.

The Sens came out like a house on fire Sunday night, raising their physicality, totaling 46 hits through two periods.

"It definitely served them well, they were taking it to us," Weise said. "They're a physical team, they've got good speed, they kind of hemmed us in our zone in the first half of the game. We didn't have an answer for it. I think it worked for them, for sure."

But the Senators dipped to just 11 hits in the third period and perhaps the energy levels were drained, allowing the hard-charging Canadiens back into the game.

Ottawa head coach Dave Cameron had made the gutsy decision in the morning to replace Andrew Hammond in goal with veteran Anderson, and while the move didn't produce the momentum-turning win that he hoped, Anderson’s 47-save performance suggests the decision was the right one.

"He played well tonight, he played great," Weise said of Anderson. "For a guy that hasn't played in a while to come in and play that well ... he's a veteran, he's outstanding, I thought he kept them in the game tonight."

Anderson had started only four games since injuring his hand on Jan. 21, but didn't look rusty.

Still, just like Hammond in Game 2, it's the overtime goal that will haunt him. It's a shot he can't let in.

"It was a close one," Anderson said. "It's frustrating. The guys battled so hard, played so well, and to come up short is frustrating.

"I gave the team a chance to win and that's my job. It's frustrating I wasn't able to get the win for the guys. We've got to put this behind us and get ready to go."

As we saw last year in the first round with the Los Angeles Kings pulling off the 0-3 series comeback win over the San Jose Sharks, anything is possible -- certainly more so than it used to be in the NHL because of parity.

But Sunday night felt like a soul-crushing moment for the Senators, who laid it all on the line in the opening two periods but couldn't deliver the knockout punch to a Habs team that once again is showing great resiliency when it matters most.

Here's why winning four straight isn't happening for the Senators: Carey Price was once again all-world Sunday, a reminder that regardless of whether it's Hammond or Anderson or whoever else, the goalie matchup is already won by the Habs before the puck is dropped.

Montreal hasn't dominated in going up 3-0, but that's exactly how the Canadiens do things, as they have all season long. They haven't impressed many people along the way, despite winning the Atlantic Division.

Be impressed or not, but the Habs are one Wednesday-night win away from beginning the playoffs two years in a row with a four-game sweep.