Sens Can't Handle Hutson, Montembeault; Lose 4-1 to Habs

I know we wanted the Ottawa Senators to change many things about themselves, but their dominance of the Montreal Canadiens certainly wasn't one of them.

After winning their first game of the season against the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Habs posed several challenges tonight that the Sens simply couldn't overcome. With a 4-1 loss, it's the end of a nine-game winning streak against those guys.

One way in which the Sens haven't changed? They're still giving out first NHL goals like candy, such as this game's opening goal by Emil Heineman, the beneficiary of Lane Hutson cleaving through the Ottawa penalty kill like wet paper.

In fact, special teams were the biggest factor in this game. Ottawa's unit had lots of zone time during their opportunities but wasn't able to find gaps in the opposing penalty kill, while the Habs' PP units looked much more dangerous in comparison.

After falling behind 3-0 in the third period thanks to additional goals from Cole Caufield and Alex Newhook, Tim Stützle answered back, with his team's only goal, beating Sam Montembeault charging through off the left wing.

The dagger came just two minutes later, however, with Caufield's second goal of the night, which brought the game to its eventual final score.

Of course, I'm disappointed with the effort that Travis Green's club displayed tonight. That said, my biggest concern is that while they've spent the last several years moonwalking in place, their fellow basement dwellers have slowly but surely been stockpiling talent through high draft picks.

Look at Utah, for example. Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther are beginning to hit their stride and it's paying early dividends.

As for the Habs' goals tonight, Hutson created the open space for Heineman and Newhook with his superior mobility and puck control. That takes raw talent. The same can be said for Caufield beating Linus Ullmark with a perfect shot from a tough angle.

Largely due to a rough outing for the majority of the Sens' top players, Montreal edged them out in terms of even-strength scoring chances, and execution on special teams, which led to a game the Senators were never truly in.

We knew there would be some disappointing performances throughout the year, but whether it's New Year, Same Sens, will be determined by how they adjust going forward.

Game Notes:

• Zack McEwen was Ottawa's worst forward from an expected goals standpoint, but that doesn't fully align with what I saw from him today. He forced a few opposing turnovers, drew a penalty by keeping his feet moving, and had what I thought was an overall decent outing on the fourth line.
• Ullmark allowed 4 goals on 26 shots – he definitely could've been better, but none of the goals against were those trademark softies we've become SENSitized to seeing in the past. Even if he had come up big with some key saves, it wouldn't have given Ottawa the win. The difference in execution was too big for goaltending to overcome today, and even then, Sam Montembeault was stellar at the other end, stopping 24 of 25 Ottawa shots on the night.
• Noah Gregor had a hot stick in the preseason, and Green tried his luck with the fourth liner in a larger role, skating with Josh Norris and Drake Batherson. It's one of those decisions that makes a coach look silly if it doesn't work, but the majority of Ottawa's scoring chances came from that trio.
• As for the top line of Brady Tkachuk, Claude Giroux, and Stützle, yes they got the lone Ottawa goal but I expected more from that trio overall. Brady in particular took two minor penalties and was eluded by Hutson on the Habs' third goal. A rough outing from the captain will usually lead to a loss. We can count on him being better going forward, but as for Giroux...could this be the year Father Time catches up to him? Too soon to ask?
• Next up is a return to the CTC, for both the Sens and D.J. Smith, for a Monday matinee against the Los Angeles Kings on October 14th. Note the 1:00 pm EST start time, folks. Wouldn't want to accidentally tune in to this one. Kidding, kidding!

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