Preseason Recap: Senators 4, Canadiens 3

Fresh off a loss in Sudbury, the Sens came into Montréal with a few storylines to pay attention to. First of all, Artem Zub and Josh Norris were each in the lineup for the first time this preseason, leading every Sens fan to exhale in relief. Secondly, with two games left, it was potentially the last chance for guys like Carter Yakemchuk, Matthew Highmore, or Jan Jenik to fight for a spot in the opening night lineup. Other than the powerplay, the Sens kind of phoned in their effort tonight, to the tune of just six 5v5 shots, vs. 24 for the Habs. But penalties defined the game, and the Sens opened up a lead they wouldn't relinquish when Arber Xhekaj took a 5-minute major midway through the second. The Sens got powerplay goals from Michael Amadio, Adam Gaudette, and Ridly Greig on that powerplay, plus another PPG from Carter Yakemchuk later. Linus Ullmark made 29 saves in the win. In more important news, Tkachuk, Stützle, and Chabot all left the game early, and we can only hope that the team was just being cautious in a game that was less about actual hockey. They have announced updates will be given sometime today.

The first period set the chippy tone, with moments like Tim Stützle throwing a big hit on Brendan Gallagher. The Habs got on the board when Yakemchuk made what at first glance looked like a poor giveaway, but replays showed that his clearing attempt was slowed by the referee along the boards, after which Jake Evans tucked it in. Ridly Greig threw a hit on Kirby Dach that was a little late, but probably wouldn't have been a penalty at all if Dach hadn't stayed down and then left the game holding his head (thankfully, Dach wasn't seriously injured and returned for the second period). The refs made the right move and called it a major so they could review, then reduced it to 2 min for interference. Montréal failed to score on the resulting 5-on-3, and then looked angry, which led to Michael Pezzetta taking a late slashing penalty against Nick Jensen for no reason. Jayden Struble threw a similarly late hit on the PK, but wasn't penalized because there was no injury. Teams were snippy with each other at the end of the period, and the game was threatening to get out of hand for the refs.

Dach's return to the ice was emphasized by him scoring the second goal of the game, helped by a series of bad decisions, first with Thomas Chabot pinching, then Zub and Highmore both rushing Joshua Roy, and finally, Highmore tipping Dach's shot between Linus Ullmark's legs. The inevitable happened next, in that Arber Xhekaj, who somehow got fined but not suspended for punching a defenseless player down on the ice, took a run at Stützle's head. Mike Johnson, who I normally agree with, was arguing that Xhekaj elbowed Stützle's stick into his head so it wasn't a penalty, but that seems stupid to me considering nobody would hit themself in the face with their stick, clearly it was the flyby headshot that caused it. The refs agreed with my take and kicked Xhekaj out, though Brady Tkachuk also had to sit out after getting an offsetting roughing penalty for jumping Xhekaj right away. The Sens went to a 5-min powerplay, and they scored three on that extended powerplay. Michael Amadio got the first goal thanks to a Habs defenceman I'd rather not name falling over for no reason.

Then Adam Gaudette made his case for staying with the big club with a bullet.

And then Ridly Greig finished up some quick passing.

Jake Evans said something at the first intermission about how Ottawa had set the tone with their hit but they were going to make them pay with goals. Instead, Xhekaj threw a head-hunting hit, and Ottawa made them pay with goals. Unfortunately for the Sens, that series of events put both Tkachuk and Stützle out for the rest of the game. Here's hoping it was precautionary in a game that threatened to boil over.

Late in the second, Ullmark got called to make a couple big saves, including one where the ref took out Jensen and gave Roy a lengthy breakaway, but he was up to the task. (The Sens also escaped late when Struble scored from the point, but the clock hit zero half a second before the puck crossed the line.)

The third period calmed a bit with Xhekaj, Stützle, and Tkachuk all done for the night. Ottawa got yet another powerplay goal, this time on a bullet by Yakemchuk.

He's making it really, really hard to justify sending him down to junior at the end of preseason. Kirby Dach decided to first take a penalty for slashing Greig, and then fought him when they were next on the ice together. We knew Greig was feisty, but I don't think anyone saw him becoming the most hated guy on the team for both the Leafs and Habs. In slightly scarier news, Thomas Chabot also wasn't on the bench in the latter stages of the third. Jake Sanderson looked to get a rare even-strength goal, but it was overturned on an offside review. Then Oliver (not Kasperi) Kapanen scored a goal to make it a close game with 5 min left, but Ullmark continued to be calm and collected, making key saves to seal the win.

Other thoughts:

• Ullmark looks strong. He was called on to make some tough saves on a night where the Sens looked slow and uninterested for long stretches. He's very calm and unworried in net, which inspires a lot of confidence. He also might be the best puck-handling goalie the Sens have had since... ever?
• It's fun to see Shane Pinto as the 5-on-3 centreman. That will likely be Claude Giroux's spot in the season, but it shows he's earned his coach's trust as a faceoff man.
• It's also nice to see Josh Norris taking faceoffs at all. That's a sign that they're not taking it easy on his shoulder.
• Remember in 2016-17, when Thomas Chabot got into 1 game but stayed up with the team for the first couple weeks before being sent back to junior? I think I'd like something like that with Yakemchuk. Put him in for some home games where the Sens can control the matchups. Let him train like a pro for two weeks. Then send him back to junior knowing exactly what he needs to do. (Or let him prove he belongs for a full season if he blows your socks off.)
• In the competition for the final forward spots, I think Adam Gaudette is staking his claim. He's still a long shot since he's primarily a scorer and not known for his defensive prowess, but maybe he gets in for spot 2nd PP duty and to have some scoring depth. Highmore, Jenik, and Zack MacEwen all played under 12 min so they look like they're probably not the favourites. Noah Gregor looks like a lock though, given his PK usage and the fact that he topped 15 min.

The Sens get back on the ice on Friday against Detroit, before wrapping up preseason on Saturday in a rematch against the Habs — in a game where Ridly Greig will definitely be targeted. We know Kirby Dach will be ready: