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Canadiens vs. Senators Top Six Minutes: Habs outscore PK woes in Montreal, but not Ottawa

The Canadiens came back to beat the Senators on home ice, but missed their shot at a perfect pre-season with a loss at Canadian Tire Centre.

Posted on by Matt Drake
MONTREAL, QC - SEPTEMBER 26: Samuel Montembeault (35) of the Montréal Canadiens tends net during the second period of the Preseason NHL game between the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens on September 26, 2026, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire)

Bell Centre, Montreal: Canadiens vs. Senators

  • Split squad with Ottawa, most of the big guns in MTL so once again, that is where my attention was.

First period

  • Ryan Suzuki gets to come out and take the opening face-off against his brother Nick Suzuki. We know which one of them is paying for thanksgiving dinner.
  • Tyler Thorpe and Djibril Touré just played rock-em sock-em robots near centre ice. Very entertaining, and very not something you would want the NHL guys to be doing in a preseason finale.
  • Speaking of brothers, Florian Xhekaj just got called for interference that wasn’t interference at all. Six seconds later, it’s 1-0 for the Sens on a tip from Tomasino.
  • Well, that didn’t last long either! Chris Kreider drives the net, good lord… And ties the game for the Montreal Canadiens. Historically, good things don’t happen for them when he’s done that.
  • And yet again, not long-lasting… Tyler Boucher rips one on the power play. In the box twice, in the back of the net twice. 2-1 Sens.

Second period

  • Apparently no score change lasts long. Habs start on a power play, and Noah Dobson obliterates a puck through everyone. 2-2.
  • Touré is taking runs at an NHL player in Alex Newhook now. Come back to this bullet when he’s throwing punches with Xhekaj and congratulate me on being right.
  • The violence is slowly heading towards a boiling point, which is just the nicest anxiety-inducing thing for a preseason finale.
  • The Habs have decided to send Samuel Montembeault in to replace Jacob Fowler, surely as a ringer for the eventual line brawl.
  • Or, the fact he just made like five ten-bell saves on a penalty kill, which the Habs have been straight terrible at tonight.
  • Well we’re out of that period without any injuries, do we have 20 more clean minutes to get to the regular season?

Third period

  • Depends on your definition of clean, I guess. Alex Newhook off for holding pretty early in this frame.
  • Penalty kill doesn’t concede for once, which is about the only positive thing you can say about it.
  • Juraj Slafkovsky on the other hand, plenty of positive things to say about him. Very nice. 3-2 Habs.
  • Apparently there will be a shootout at the end of this game regardless of score. I vote that Samuel Montembeault takes one of the shots.
  • Speaking of unlikely scorers, Phil “The Thrill” Danault has extended the lead. 4-2 Habs.
  • That’ll be your final score, and as far as we know, nobody got injured! Success.
  • Oh right, there’s a shootout.
  • Five shooters apiece, and Alex Newhook wins that for the Habs too. See you in the regular season!

Canadian Tire Centre, Kanata: Canadiens @ Senators

  • So no network is broadcasting the game in Ottawa? Are the six services you need to watch the Canadiens this season not enough to cover it?

First period

  • The Canadiens get on the board first, and it was a duo of Brett Berard and Sasha Pastujov at the side of the net that got the puck to go in, with Berard getting credit.
  • Alex Belzile plays the puck over the glass off the next faceoff, so Ottawa will have a chance to tie it up.
  • Montreal gets through the first PK, but goes right back to the box when Samuel Poulin slashes Michael Amadio.
  • Ottawa makes its second power play count, and it’s Claude Giroux who scores the goal with a far-side slapshot.
  • Montreal gets a power play now as Hoyt Stanley is called for roughing on Kirby Dach.
  • Shots end up 11-7 Ottawa, with several of those coming during their back-to-back power plays. It’s largely been an even contest through one period despite this being close to what the Senators are going to introduce as their 2026-27 roster.
  • Berard had the goal and another scoring chance, with his two opportunities single-handedly tying what the Senators managed. He and Pastujov worked well in the period. Adam Engström and David Reinbacher led the Canadiens in ice time at about eight minutes each.

Second period

  • The first notable thing to happen in the second period is David Reinbacher getting called for tripping at 8:43 as he steps up at the blue line to deny an entry.
  • Engström spins and fires the puck over the glass into the crowd. A woman in attendance gets treatment after getting hit by it, and Montreal will play the next minute with five skaters.
  • Drake Batherson blasts in Ottawa’s second power-play of the game (and fourth of the two games being played right now) just before Reinbacher’s penalty came to an end.
  • Make that three power-play goals as Carter Yakemchuk skates right through the slot to fire a shot short-side.
  • The Senators have taken over this game. Montreal hasn’t really touched the puck in a couple of shifts.
  • Filip Mešár gets pulled down by Thomas Chabot at the blue line, so the Canadiens have a chance to score a power-play goal.
  • The best chance was for Ottawa on a short-handed two-on-one. Engström had a couple of shots, but not dangerous ones.
  • Montreal carried momentum out of the power play, but wasn’t able to convert it into a second goal.
  • The disparity in quality between the teams was more apparent in the second, but it was just the penalty that let them down. It’s no coincidence that things unravelled while Reinbacher was in the box, and Engström’s panicked clear while already down a man made the situation worse.

Third period

  • The penalty kill will get tested again after Nick Cousins was tripped by Reinbacher, this time at the offensive blue line as Reinbacher tried to pull his stick around on his pivot.
  • It’s not much of a test because Kirby Dach gets tripped while carrying the puck up the ice 20 seconds in.
  • It’s Arber Xhekaj’s turn for a tripping call, leading to a four-on-three power play for Ottawa.
  • Jayden Struble carries the puck up on a rush and sets up Belzile. Belzile pulls the puck around Linus Ullmark and gets it to go in to make it a 3-2 game.
  • The game is tied as Pastujov collects a bad back-pass by the Senators and rips a shot past Ullmark’s glove while flatfooted in the slot.
  • Ottawa takes a slashing penalty, and Montreal has a TV timeout to come up with a plan for a go-ahead goal on the power play.
  • Belzile catches a lob pass on the blade of his stick and skates into the offensive zone that way. He ends up taking a big hit on the play, and Poulin gets four minutes and a misconduct for going after Cousins.
  • Two forwards have their sticks break on the PK, and Ottawa adds a fourth power-play goal, scored by William Eklund.
  • Another penalty is coming to Montreal, Belzile for high-sticking, but Hayden Hodgson is also off for roughing.
  • Another good shift from Pastujov and Bedard forces Ullmark into a desperation save to keep the Senators ahead.
  • Dobeš has gone to the bench.
  • Montreal can’t get set up for a final chance, and Ottawa will spoil the bid for a perfect pre-season.
  • The penalty kill proved Montreal’s undoing, and that’s an area they will need to clean up early in the season.
  • Adam Engström ended up leading the team in ice time, but Kirby Dach was right behind at 21:21. On a day that began with rumours of a potential trade of Dach to Edmonton to join brother Colton, scouts got a long look at him.

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