Just a sprain for Patrik Laine, so we should see him play this season after all. Let’s see how that news impact the Canadiens tonight, who were quite flat for the remainder of Saturday’s game following his injury.
First period
- David Savard says, “Here, youngins, deal with this penalty kill” 23 seconds into the game.
- The Habs don’t allow a shot for the Senators on the PK.
- Alex Barré-Boulet makes a nice play in the neutral zone to create a two-on-one with Brendan Gallagher
- ABB and Oliver Kapanen team up for another good look on their next shift.
- Kirby Dach gets two shots from close range, and suddenly the Habs are in full control of this game.
- Well, it was short-lived. Nearing the midpoint of the period, shots are 2-2.
- Trevor Letowski says on RDS that the Canadiens are focusing on offence in these final two pre-season games. It doesn’t really look like that’s the case.
- Jake Evans intercepts a wayward clear from Carter Yakemchuk, walks in, and scores on the fifth shot of this game.
- Emil Heineman drives to the net, cuts across the crease, and sends the puck off the post. Great individual effort, and he earned himself some power-play time for the effort.
- Dach gains the zone on the power play and dishes the puck off to the wing. Ridly comes in and lands a high blind-side hit, and Dach is off to the room.
- The referees review the play and decide it’s only worth two minutes.
- Two flubbed shots from Heineman on the five-on-three. Not the follow-up impression he was hoping for.
- Jayden Struble lands a big open-ice hit on Shane Pinto. An acceptable way to get your revenge, but now this game is on the verge of boiling over, too.
- Someone tell these teams this is just pre-season and the games don’t matter. This might be why Canadian teams don’t win the Stanley Cup.
Second period
- Dach returns for the second period, so that’s good.
- Dach makes it 2-0. That’s even better.
- The offence is looking more like what Letowski indicated earlier.
- The Senators are now angry that they’re losing, and that’s their whole identity in this never-ending rebuild.
- Arber Xhekaj lands a high hit coming from a lateral position on Tim Stützle. The replay shows that it was Stützle’s own stick that hit him in the face, but it was still a completely unnecessary attempt by Xhekaj with the game settled down and the Canadiens spending time in the offensive zone.
- The Senators score three times on Xhekaj’s major penalty, showing the perfect way to respond to a hit targeting a star player.
- Xhekaj might be sent on his way to Laval Rocket training camp tonight.
- Struble and Mailloux team up for a flurry of chances in the offensive zone, then Struble draws a penalty. A very good game for him tonight.
- Adam Engström has looked good in his role as the power-play quarterback in the game, helped by Dach’s play at the goal line.
- Luke Tuch put the puck in the net, but about a quarter of a second after the period ended. No goal.
Third period
- Another power play for the Senators, another goal. You just have to stay out of the box versus this team.
- Barré-Boulet is involved in another good offensive play, timing a run to get a tip on goal. He’s looked good.
- Evans draws a hooking penalty. He’s looked strong too.
- Dach gets fed up with Greig hitting him on the power play, and whacks at Greig’s slates. Greig went down easily, but it’s called a penalty nonetheless.
- Greig bearhugs Dach the next time they’re on the ice, and that sets Dach off. He drops the gloves, landing several punches with his right hand, then switches to his left when his right arm gets tired.
- Ottawa scores again, but the Canadiens use an offside challenge to take the goal off the board.
- Joshua Roy shows some great hands to pull the puck to his forehand and almost tuck it top corner while falling. Kapanen shows his positioning instincts by being right there to bang in the rebound.
- Montreal kills off a Senators power play. That’s been a rare thing this evening.
- Linus Ullmark robs Evans on the doorstep with the game at six-on-five. The two share a laugh about the play.
- Adam Engstöm suddenly becomes the slowest skater in the world to get an icing call.
- The Habs can’t find another goal, and lose this one 4-3.
- One more pre-season game on Saturday in Kanata.
