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Canadiens @ Senators Top Six Minutes: Habs carry poor special teams into regular season

Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

First period

  • Montreal attempts to get out of the zone in the first minute, the Senators go on the quick counter, and Shane Pinto opens the scoring.
  • Moments after the next faceoff. Arber Xhekaj and Zack MacEwen fight. Let’s hope that’s the end of those shenanigans. The Canadiens get a power play out of it.
  • No Mike Matheson. No Lane Hutson. Adam Engström gets the first wave.
  • Engström looked very good. He wasn’t put under much pressure at the point, but made passes to both sides for scoring chances.
  • Already on the penalty kill, Christian Dvorak gets a penalty for taking his man down along the boards. There didn’t seem to be much there, but I think that may be the theme of this night as the referees try to maintain control of the game.
  • It’s 2-0 as the Senators score yet another power-play goal.
  • Kaiden Guhle lays a hit at centre ice. Two Senators jump him.
  • Guhle gets a penalty. More of that game management going on I feel. But the Habs do get another power play.
  • Engström again.
  • Brendan Gallagher tips Engström’s point shot off the post.
  • Justin Barron and Logan Mailloux are out for the second wave.
  • Josh Anderson misses two shots by a significant margin. I think he needs a new stick model.
  • Montreal is carrying some creativity over to even strength from the power play.
  • Xhekaj takes a pass that Emil Heineman had dropped back from the slot, and that requires a big glove save from Linus Ullmark.
  • Montreal is working the puck to the slot constantly, as they’ve been trying to do for much of the pre-season (in the rare moments they’re not on special teams). I’m looking forward to how that looks on opening night with all the best players involved.
  • Another Ottawa chance off a bad zone exit.
  • Engström makes a great cross-ice pass through two bodies to gain a zone entry. Christian Dvorak scores seconds later on a goalmouth scramble.

Second period

  • Even less time into the middle period, the Senators score another goal. Michael Amadio tips a shot that gets through Samuel Montembeault.
  • Another Habs power play, and that means more Engström.
  • First it means more Pinto, as he strips Alex Newhook of the puck and finishes his hat trick on a cross-crease deke.
  • Nick Cousisn tries to run Xhekaj into the boards. He ends up hitting a brick wall.
  • Shane Pinto might be Ottawa’s best player. He just helped draw another penalty.
  • We already know he’s their bets player.
  • A nice short-handed rush from Barron as he gets up to speed and blows past the Sens players.
  • Logan Mailloux carries the puck back behind his net to kill off the final five seconds of the period. Pinto takes a run at him. Xhekaj has some words.

Third period

  • Habs survive the first minute. They’re making progress.
  • Guhle is now having some fun playing with Engström, acting as a forward for a shift near the goal line. He seems to be ready for the season. As are we all.
  • Ottawa tries to play with six players. I think they’re doing well enough with five.
  • At least we can say Engström is looking like one of the answers for Laval’s poor power play.
  • A delay of game sends the puck over the glass. This may be the final chance for the Canadiens’ power play to get on the board.
  • The two-man advantage doesn’t score, but a knucklepuck from Xhekaj finds the mark moments later.
  • Oliver Kapanen gets the secondary assist on the goal. That’s either a feelgood moment before heading to the SHL or one more thing that helps him claim an NHL role.
  • Engström is now the goaltender at six-on-five with the puck in Montreal’s zone.
  • The game ends 4-2 for the Sens, and Montreal completes the pre-season with a 2-4 record.
  • Let’s not do this six-game pre-season format again.

EOTP 3 Stars will return for Wednesday’s season-opener versus the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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