Bad Blood in Quebec: Canadiens Crush Senators 5–0 in Fiery Preseason Tilt

In Quebec City last night, the Montreal Canadiens blanked the Ottawa Senators 5–0 in a tense preseason showdown. Montreal’s dominance showed up on the scoreboard and on special teams, while Ottawa struggled to maintain discipline in a chippy affair.

Montreal opened the scoring early when Oliver Kapanen redirected an Alex Newhook feed. Tempers began to flare soon after as Ottawa's Nick Cousins slashed top prospect Ivan Demidov, forcing him out of the game with a wrist injury.

The Canadiens pulled away with goals for Patrik Laine on the power play, and Alexandre Carrier. Fights broke out after a dangerous hit on Newhook - Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble answered the call to set the tone.

Montreal's power play ultimately sealed the game - Lane Hutson and Kirby Dach each scored with a man advantage. Physicality boiled over as the Xhekaj brothers both racked up some penalty minutes, but the Canadiens remained in control.

Stand Outs

Dobes was perfect in net. Ultimate calm in the chaos of the game.

Hutson and Dach both notched power-play goals, which is key for unit chemistry reinforcing trust in special teams roles, and also for some Dach confidence since being out of play for so long.

Laine showcased his shot and offensive instincts.

Montreal was not intimidated; in fact, they controlled the grittier moments of a fairly rough game. Xhekaj on the line always gives some of the guys confidence to get out there and focus on their plays and I think this game was a case-in-point.

Call Outs

Ottawa clearly lost their composure, racking up 150 combined penalty minutes.

The Xhekaj brothers alone piled up over 30 minutes - and we know St. Louis is trying to show Arber when to pick his moments. Not every game looks like this, so this is not to say there hasn't been improvement.

Three of Montreal's five goals came on the power play. While it's encouraging that the PP is clicking, the Habs will want to see more consistent 5-on-5 production to avoid relying too heavily on special teams.

Ivan Demidov being forced out after a slash highlighted the risk of opponents targeting Montreal's young talent. The team will need to ensure rookies like Demidov and Hutson are protected and supported in bouncing back quickly.

Ottawa mustered only 16 shots on net - not exactly a test for Dobes. Montreal's defensive structure looked sharp and showed less mistakes than last week, but we won't really know how it holds up until faced with a team with higher-end offensive weapons.

Bottom Line:

Montreal looked dangerous and confident, but staying disciplined, building 5-on-5 scoring depth, and protecting their core will be key takeaways heading into the next tune-ups.

The Canadiens and Senators meet again this Saturday night at the Bell Centre in what promises to be a heated clash. For Montreal, the focus will be on maintaining momentum from strong special teams and evaluating final roster decisions as camp winds down. For Ottawa, Saturday will be about regaining discipline and showing more measured offensive pushback.