MTL@OTT: What you need to know

KANATA – The Canadiens took the scenic route to Ottawa (via New York), where they’ll renew their rivalry with the Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday.

Here’s what you need to know heading into the game:

1. To date, the Canadiens are batting .500 on their final road trip of the season, having secured one point in Thursday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the New York Islanders. Jordan Harris and Cole Caufield found twine for the Habs at UBS Arena, and Samuel Montembeault made an impressive 31 saves to extend the game past regulation. Mike Matheson registered his 50th assist and 60th point of the season in the loss, and Nick Suzuki brought his season point total to 76.

Montreal is 5-4-1 in their last 10 games, and 2-2-2 in their previous six road games. On Saturday, the bleu-blanc-rouge will look for their first win in Ottawa since Feb. 26, 2022. Unlike Thursday’s game in New York, tonight’s tilt has no playoff implications, but as always between the interprovincial rivals, there’s more than just two points on the line.

2. Ottawa’s season hasn’t gone quite as planned with a 35-40-4 record heading into tonight’s matchup. Since their five-game win streak in late-March, the Sens have dropped four of their last six, including two shutout losses to the Florida Panthers on Apr. 4 (6-0) and Apr. 9 (2-0). Most recently, Brady Tkachuk powered Ottawa to a 3-2 shootout win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Speaking of whom, Tkachuk (tied with the injured Tim Stutzle) leads the Senators in scoring with 70 points on the year. The 24-year-old netted his 35th goal of the season on Thursday to go along with 35 helpers. Drake Batherson (63) and Claude Giroux (62) are also enjoying productive campaigns.

3. The newly signed Lane Hutson is slated to join the team in Detroit, meaning he is not expected to play tonight in Ottawa. Head coach Martin St-Louis announced Cayden Primeau as the Canadiens’ starting goalie against the Senators. Lifetime against Ottawa, Primeau is 2-1-1 with a .906 save percentage and a 2.96 goals-against average. No other changes to the lineup were announced on Friday. Any other changes could be known during St-Louis' pregame press conference around 12:00 p.m. ET, streamed live on the team’s X, Facebook and YouTube accounts.

4. Currently, only one point separates the two teams in the League standings but no matter how you shake it, the Sens have not been a favorable matchup for the Habs. Ottawa has escaped victorious in eight straight games against Montreal, including each of this season’s matchups. The Canadiens will look to shake the rust and get back in the win column when the puck drops at Canadian Tire Centre tonight.

5. Saturday’s tilt is set to start at 7:00 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on Citytv, Sportsnet East and TVA Sports, or fans can listen in on the radio on TSN 690 and 98.5 fm.