Canadiens finish preseason without a win after OT loss to Senators

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BOUCTOUCHE, N.B. — Ultimately, the Canadiens couldn’t win a single preseason recreation — not even with a bit assist from the Ottawa Senators.

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The Canadiens misplaced 3-2 in additional time to the Senators in a Kraft Hockeyville recreation Saturday night time on the J.Okay. Irving Centre with Drake Batherson scoring the successful objective on an influence play. Derick Brassard and Scott Sabourin additionally scored for the Senators, whereas the Canadiens bought objectives from Cole Caufield and Kaiden Guhle.

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It was the eighth and closing preseason recreation for each groups and the Canadiens completed with an 0-6-2 report, whereas the Senators went 5-3-0 with 4 of their wins coming towards Montreal.

The Senators did the Canadiens a favour — however not the roughly 1,100 followers in attendance on the small, packed area — by not dressing a number of of their prime gamers, together with Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stützle, Claude Giroux, Alex DeBrincat, Thomas Chabot and Josh Norris.

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Magnus Hellberg began in objective for the Senators whereas sporting a Seattle Kraken masks, pads and gloves. Ottawa claimed Hellberg off waivers from the Kraken final week after the announcement that Senators goalie Cam Talbot could be out for 5-7 weeks due to an upper-body harm.

Batherson was the one ahead from the Senators’ prime two strains who was within the lineup.

This was the second straight Kraft Hockeyville recreation for these two groups after the Senators beat the Canadiens 4-3 Thursday night time in Gander, N.L.

“I feel I noticed what I wanted to see the opposite night time from these guys and eight video games is quite a lot of exhibition video games,” Senators head coach D.J. Smith stated after his crew’s morning skate about his determination to relaxation so many prime gamers. “Some guys right here which might be on the cusp are going to get an opportunity right here tonight, particularly for the goalie. It’s a chance for him to get in, so we’ll try to play good in entrance of him.”

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The Senators performed simply adequate to get the win and — extra importantly — keep away from any extra accidents earlier than the beginning of the common season. The Canadiens are already coping with accidents to Nick Suzuki, Joel Armia, Mike Hoffman, Christian Dvorak and Emil Heineman, who had been all out of the lineup.

“In the beginning, the constructive is we had been capable of carry some NHL to those small communities and get these youngsters to see their heroes reside and for trigger,” Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis stated about this two-game street journey. “When it comes to the hockey, I feel the boys competed. Two shut video games. Fell brief in each, however I really like the combat, I really like what I see and searching ahead to the whole lot coming collectively right here once we get our entire group collectively.”

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Defenceman Jordan Harris stated not getting a preseason win is one thing the gamers had talked about within the locker room, however added there have been quite a lot of positives for this younger, rebuilding crew.

“We do have quite a lot of younger guys,” he stated. “You need to win on the finish of the day. It’s hockey, it’s aggressive, and it’s a satisfaction factor. But additionally for the fellows round you, you need to win as a result of they’re pushing simply as exhausting. It issues however, on the finish of the day, it’s a course of. I feel the wins will probably be a byproduct of us rising as a crew.”

Caufield opened the scoring for the Canadiens with a power-play objective at 8:47 of the primary interval on a depraved wrist shot from the highest of the faceoff circle, beating Hellberg excessive over his blocker on the brief facet after some good give-and-go passing with Chris Wideman. It was the fourth objective of the preseason for Caufield.

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Brassard tied it up 1-1 at 3:48 of the second interval with a power-play objective whereas No. 1 general draft decide Juraj Slafkovsky was within the penalty field for tripping.

St. Louis stated he favored the way in which Slafkovsky performed the final two video games, including he was concerned, appeared extra snug on the small rink and with the pace of play.

Sabourin gave the Senators the lead at 15:17 of the second interval earlier than Guhle scored on a shot Hellberg ought to have stopped on the 18:40 mark to ship the groups into the third interval tied 2-2. It was Guhle’s third objective of the preseason.

“I’m apprehensive about how I play and never what number of objectives I rating,” Guhle stated. “I might have a objective and never play the perfect. So I’m apprehensive about my play and the way the crew does.”

The rating remained 2-2 till additional time when Batherson potted the winner on the 2:45 mark with Wideman within the penalty field for interference.

Canadiens goalie Jake Allen, who grew up in Fredericton, N.B., stopped 26 of the 29 pictures he confronted. The Canadiens had 20 pictures on Hellberg.

The Canadiens flew dwelling after the sport and can open the common season on Wednesday night time on the Bell Centre towards the Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m., SN, TVA Sports activities, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).

Fortunately for them, their preseason report doesn’t rely.

scowan@postmedia.com

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