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Habs Close Out Pre-season | RECAP: OTT @ MTL

Rick Stephens

Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators Game Recap: Habs, Line-up, Score, Statistics, Highlights, Post-game, Interviews, NHL, Three-Stars

FINAL/SO | Exhibition Game 6 | Thursday October 7, 2021
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC

CANADIENS

Montreal

4-5

SENATORS

Ottawa
Alexander Romanov, Jake Allen (Photo by Canadiens.com)

Canadiens Lineup

Forward lines

Tyler Toffoli – Nick Suzuki – Cole Caufield

Artturi Lehkonen – Christian Dvorak – Josh Anderson

Joel Armia – Jake Evans – Brendan Gallagher

Alex Belzile – Ryan Poehling – Jesse Ylonen

Defence pairings

Alexander Romanov – Jeff Petry

Ben Chiarot – David Savard

Brett Kulak – Chris Wideman

Goaltenders

Jake Allen – Cayden Primeau

Scratches Injuries

Joel Edmundson (undisclosed), Carey Price (knee), Paul Byron (hip), Mike Hoffman (lower-body), Cedric Paquette (groin), Mattias Norlinder (undisclosed), Sami Niku (concussion)

Game Report

The game was overshadowed by the news bomb delivered earlier in the day that the Canadiens franchise player Carey Price was voluntarily taking part in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. It was an announcement that shook the hockey world.

But there were still evaluations to be made in the Canadiens final exhibition game. Dominique Ducharme iced a lineup said to be very close to the one fans will see on opening night of the new season. But just before puck drop it was announced that Jonathan Drouin was pulled from the lineup due to a non-COVID illness replaced by Artturi Lehkonen.

The Canadiens benefited immediately from the player change as Artturi Lehkonen made a clever pass to a streaking Josh Anderson for the game’s first goal just 10 seconds in. By the four minute mark, the Canadiens had a two-goal lead with Jeff Petry scoring his first goal of the night. 

Rollercoaster Night

At that point the Senators young talent took over the game. The Canadiens were dominated at even strength with Ottawa scoring four unanswered goals. Montreal had a better effort in the third period using the power-play to trigger a comeback.

The Canadiens pre-season ended as Josh Norris beat Jake Allen in the fifth round of a shootout.

Are the Habs ready for the regular season? They lost four of six exhibition matches giving up 21 goals. Yes, the Canadiens defence and goaltending are a concern with games that count right around the corner.

Injuries are obviously an issue as well with Canadiens depth tested from the outset.

Up Next

Montreal players will have five days to engage in bonding activities and practice to prepare for opening night. The Canadiens will play game one of the new season against the Maple Leafs in Toronto on October 13th.

Plus

▲  Jeff Petry, Artturi Lehkonen, Nick Suzuki, Josh Anderson

Minus

▼  Alexander Romanov, Alex Belzile, Chris Wideman, Jesse Ylonen, David Savard

Game Preview

Check out the game preview here: A Final Tune-up | PREVIEW: OTT @ MTL

The Numbers

Game Statistics
CANADIENS   SENATORS
22 Shots 32
52 Face-off % 48
1-for-4 Power Play 2-for-7
18 Penalty Minutes 12
22 Hits 28
31 Corsi For 34
Scoring Summary
FINAL 1 2 3 OT SO T
Canadiens (2-3-1) 2 0 2 0 0 4
Senators  1 3 0 0 1 5
Scorers Goalies
  • MTL: Anderson (3), Petry (1), Suzuki (2)-PPG, Petry (2)
  • OTT: Norris (2)-PPG, Pinto (2), Norris (3)-PPG, Tierney (1); game deciding goal: Norris 
  • MTL: Allen (OTL)
  • OTT: Forsberg (W)

Stars of the Game

Official NHL Three Stars
  1. Josh Norris OTT
  2. Jeff Petry MTL
  3. Shane Pinto OTT

Watch

Video Highlights

What Did They Say?

Post-game Quotes

Brendan Gallagher

  • “I’ve been here for ten years and have always played with Carey. I can’t dream of a better teammate. He is a role model for the city, for young people and the indigenous community. He decided to look at himself in the mirror and he wanted to become a better man. He is already a good teammate, a good husband and a good father. But he needs to work on himself. It is a courageous gesture, a difficult decision. He has our support as a teammate and friend.”
  • “Carey is a special person, a special friend. He will come back as a better man. People often perceive him as Superman, but it’s quite unfair to describe him that way simply since he’s a good hockey player. He always handled the pressure and noise from outside in a big hockey market well. You are even more grateful for what he can do for this team when you know how much he can endure.”

Quotes courtesy of NHL.com

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