Game Preview #29: Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators

Senators are looking to keep their point streak going after victories against the Predators and Ducks.

The Ottawa Senators come into Wednesday with a three-game point streak thanks to the hot stick of Alex DeBrincat. After struggling to find the back of the net to begin the season, he has scored three goals in his last two games. They’ll need that to continue as injuries start to mount for Ottawa.

The point streak has been crucial for the Senators, but they still find themselves at the bottom of the Atlantic. What’s worse has been the crowded injury report, with Tim Stützle and Tyler Motte joining after injuries against the Ducks. DJ Smith told the media this morning that both will be out for at least a week. The coach also revealed that Cam Talbot is still dealing with a mystery issue but is still expected to play.

The Canadiens lead the overall series 86-80-5, with the teams splitting their four-game series last year 2-2.

Lineup Notes

Here are the lineups from today’s morning skate:

A lot of new faces make this lineup almost unrecognizable. They recalled Dillon Heatherington and Jake Lucchini on the ice this morning. They’ll join fellow prospects Mark Kastelic and Rourke Chartier to make this one of the youngest lineups we’ve seen. If DJ Smith goes with these pairings tonight, the game could be decided by the play of that young third line. They’ll need at least one of these prospects to produce tonight to get a crucial win against a division rival.

The good news is that the Senators looked great after Stützle and Motte left the game early (Both played less than seven minutes). If DeBrincat can keep the scoring going, there’s a chance the Senators can get through the next week without too much damage. The key player to watch will be Shane Pinto. The rookie has just six points combined in November and December after starting his career with six goals in his first eight games. With Norris and now Stütle out, they’ll need Pinto to rediscover his scoring stroke.

Offensive Leaders

Points: MTL – Nick Suzuki (29) / OTT – Brady Tkachuk (31)

Goals:  MTL – Cole Caufield (16) / OTT – Brady Tkachuk (12)

Assists: MTL – Nick Suzuki (15) / OTT – Brady Tkachuk (19)

+/-: MTL – Kirby Dach (+3) / OTT – Mathieu Joseph & Derick Brassard (+3)

Shots: MTL – Cole Caufield (96) / OTT – Brady Tkachuk (123)

Hits: MTL – Arber Xhekaj (80) / OTT – Austin Watson & Brady Tkachuk (70)

Starting Goalies

Sam Montembeault – Montreal Canadiens

2022-2023 Season Stats: 9 GP, 5-2-2, 0.908 SV%, 2.97 GAA

The 26-year-old has just appeared in nine games this season, but he’s been fantastic for most of them. One of the significant exceptions to that was his last start, where he allowed seven goals to the Canucks, saving just 78% of shots. Tonight will be Montembeault’s first career matchup against the Senators.

Cam Talbot – Ottawa Senators

2022-2023 Season Stats: 15 GP, 6-7-0, 0.917 SV%, 2.55 GAA

While he missed the morning skate, it looks like Talbot will again get the start tonight. He’s been dealing with a mystery ailment that has kept him out of practice, but it didn’t stop him from making an incredible start against the Ducks on Monday. Talbot was electric, saving all 32 shots that he faced. The veteran is now 3-1 in December and will look to keep the hot streak going tonight.

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Key Trends and Stats

Montreal Canadiens

• 6th in Atlantic with 30 points
• 2-2-1 over their last five games
• Top ten penalty kill in the NHL (80.8%)
• 23rd in goals allowed per game (3.52)
• 30th in shots per game (29.3)
• Tied with Ottawa for the 26th most shots allowed per game (33.1)
• 30th in power play percentage (14.4%)
• 12th in faceoff percentage (51.1%)
• 25th in goals forced per game (2.86)

Ottawa Senators

• 8th in the Atlantic with 26 points
• 3-1-1 over their last five games
• 6th in NHL in powerplay percentage (27.4%)
• 17th in penalty kill percentage (78.6%)
• 4th in faceoff percentage (53.6%)
• 17th in goals forced (3.07)
• 18th in goals allowed (3.18)