The Senators’ home opener kicked the season off with a win against the reigning Stanley Cup champs, the Florida Panthers. The Sens won 3-1 with two goals coming from forward Tim Stützle, as well as a goal from forward Shane Pinto. Goaltender Linus Ullmark made his first regular season start for the Senators and put on an impressive performance, saving 31 of the 32 shots he faced.
Tonight, the Senators will face off against the 1-1 Canadiens, who will be looking to bounce back from a 6-4 loss against the Boston Bruins on Thursday. Ottawa went 2-0 in its two games against Montreal this preseason, winning by scores of 4-3 and 4-2. Heading into tonight’s game, the Senators are riding a 9-0 regular season winning streak against the Canadiens that dates back to the 2021-22 season.
Ottawa-Montreal matchups always promise exciting hockey for fans to watch, as the two teams have a history of a gritty rivalry that was present in this year’s preseason, too.
“They’re a high flying team,” head coach Travis Green spoke of Montreal this morning. “They can create a lot of offence, they’ve got skill throughout their lineup, great mobile defence, plus it’s the Montreal-Ottawa Saturday night game. It’s going to be an emotional game and a fun game to play.”
Shane Pinto echoed Green’s sentiment. “It’s a pretty good rivalry. It’s going to be a lot of emotions tonight, I’m sure. Definitely going to be a physical game, but we’ve just got to worry about our game.”
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