Canadiens seize rivalry-fuelling win over Senators

There’s going to be some spillover from this one between the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators — a fight-filled affair marked by flying fists and carelessly-wielded sticks soliciting 152 penalty minutes — and it’ll prolong properly past Saturday’s exhibition-ending recreation on the Bell Centre.

The rivalry between these groups, that are separated by roughly 220 of essentially the most boring kilometres you’ll be able to drive on this nation, has been percolating for a few years, and it’s now on the cusp of boiling over. 

If that wasn’t apparent earlier than coaches Martin St. Louis and Travis Green consulted with each other on lineup choices forward of Tuesday’s recreation in Quebec City, it was plain shortly after the puck dropped at Videotron Centre.

You might inform the officers couldn’t wait to take it off the ice after handing out 10 main penalties and kicking 5 gamers out of the sport.

The Canadiens struck first… on the scoreboard, that’s. 

Then issues bought actually tough after they scored twice extra to take a 3-0 lead. And they went from tough to ugly when Ottawa’s Hayden Hodgson took a late, reckless run at Alex Newhook and crushed him into the glass from behind with 3:07 remaining within the second interval.

In the post-whistle scrum that ensued, Hodgson jumped Alex Carrier and began punching away, after which Montreal’s Jayden Struble bought his stick up into Jan Jenik’s face earlier than demolishing him in a struggle whereas teammate Arber Xhekaj was laying a beatdown on Zack McEwen.

Shortly earlier than the Canadiens made it 5-0 within the third interval, Senators veteran Nick Cousins laid an axe blow to Ivan Demidov’s wrist. It was a flagrant — and profitable — try to harm the rookie sensation, who took yet another shift earlier than leaving the sport for remedy.

St. Louis later characterised what Cousins did as fully pointless.

“There’s no need for that,” he informed reporters in attendance. “It’s an exhibition game; both teams are trying to get ready for a long season. I don’t think there’s any need for that in the game.”

That was after Kirby Dach known as Donovan Sebrango’s determination to randomly bounce him and sucker punch him within the third interval “not a hockey play,” and after Newhook had some selection phrases for what Hodgson did to him.

“It’s hard not to say there’s no bad intent there,” Newhook mentioned. “If you look at the play, it felt like it was three seconds late. Backs turned to the boards, you see numbers. The guy’s talking a lot during the game, wanted to fight someone, and I think that’s kind of a cheap way to show who you are, and that’s all I’ll say about it.”

You would count on the NHL’s Department of Player Safety to have one thing to say about a number of issues we noticed on this recreation. 

We’re unsure Hodgson’s hit will rise to the extent of supplementary self-discipline, however Cousins’ chop on Demidov will undoubtedly be reviewed, as will Struble’s cross-check on Jenik.

Even if fines and/or suspensions are levied, the temperature of this rivalry isn’t about to chill off. These two groups have developed a powerful dislike for each other, they’re scheduled to play not less than 5 extra video games in opposition to one another earlier than subsequent season, and each are trending in direction of being combatants close to the highest of the Atlantic Division standings for the following a number of years.

It’s going to get nastier between them, maybe as early as Saturday, when each groups presumably costume lineups that resemble those they’ll take into the common season.

Before we get there, we’ve some takeaways from Tuesday’s recreation.

No. 91 is making this staff

That’s the quantity worn by Oliver Kapanen, who’s all however assured to be sporting it within the Canadiens’ opening lineup on Oct. 8, in Toronto.

He scored the sport’s opening objective, set a bunch of high quality performs for linemates Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook, was accountable all around the ice and was notably efficient within the offensive zone, the place he registered a game-high six photographs on internet.

Kapanen has had a superb camp, and this recreation rubber-stamped it. 

Likely cementing the 22-year-old’s place with the Canadiens is the opinion St. Louis has of him as a participant.

“I think Kappy will continue to get better offensively just with experience in the league and repetition,” the coach mentioned. “If you watched him last year at this time versus this year at this time, his defensive actions were pretty much the same, but his offensive actions have come up a level because he’s more used to the pace of the league and he’s more accustomed to our collective game at five-on-five. I think you can put Kappy in any situation and you’ll see he’s very predictable. When I watch him on video, I know exactly what his next move will be. He plays with a very good predictability that makes him easy to play with for his linemates.”

No. 92 is getting the message

There was no mistaking what St. Louis was doing by placing No. 92 with Nos. 90 and 62 for this recreation.

In inserting Patrik Laine with Joe Veleno and Owen Beck — and taking him off a line with Demidov and Dach — he was sending him a message that his ice-time must be earned. 

The excellent news is, Laine earned it.

He performed with tempo, he moved the puck rapidly and decisively, he attacked house and freed himself as much as get possibilities, he defended arduous, and he mainly did all the things St. Louis hoped he would do in final Thursday’s recreation in opposition to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

After shedding 7-2 that night time, Laine mentioned, “I feel like guys were, myself included, just sleeping a little bit.” 

He was in full hibernation, doing nothing St. Louis needed him to.

The coach’s determination to maneuver Laine to a line with two gamers on the bubble of the lineup was a wakeup name on Tuesday, and the participant answered it.

And Laine’s objective on the facility play didn’t have something to do with it. 

He did that in Thursday’s recreation, too, and it didn’t say all that a lot about his efficiency both.

What Laine did at five-on-five in Tuesday’s recreation did, and it’s one thing he should replicate any more if he desires to not solely play increased up in Montreal’s lineup but additionally play in it in any respect.

“He played really well at five-on-five,” mentioned St. Louis.

Laine should hold it that approach.

No. 93 dominant, hopefully unscathed

St. Louis mentioned he wasn’t involved about No. 93, who was being evaluated by the Canadiens’ medical employees throughout his press convention.

The coach wasn’t requested about it, however he needed to be impressed with what he noticed from Demidov on Tuesday.

The Senators allowed Demidov to the touch the puck so much on this recreation, and, as soon as he bought warmed up, it appeared the one approach they might cease him was with a vicious slash to the wrist.

Demidov’s two assists solely informed a part of the story. He additionally began the play that led to Kapanen’s objective — even when he didn’t get an help — and the stuff he did with out the puck in all probability additionally went unregistered.

But it didn’t go unnoticed. 

Three sequences within the recreation noticed Demidov cost in as the primary forechecker, hit his man and steal the puck. That was a noteworthy a part of a totally dominant recreation for the 19-year-old.

Provided Demidov’s wrist is nothing greater than bruised, he’ll proceed to ramp up in direction of delivering extra performances like this as quickly because the common season begins.