Senators Finish Preseason Strong With 3–1 Win In Montreal

After being outscored 12–1 over their previous two preseason games, the Ottawa Senators closed out their exhibition schedule on a high note on Saturday night, defeating the Montreal Canadiens 3–1 at the Bell Centre.

It was exactly the kind of performance Ottawa needed heading into the regular season – far more structured and disciplined than the past two games. Finishing their chances, however, remains troublesome as the Sens scored just 12 goals on their 187 shots in preseason.

Goaltender Linus Ullmark wasnâ€t heavily tested in the early going, but the Canadiens pressed more as the game went on, forcing the veteran to come up with several key saves. Ullmark finished with 20 stops on 21 shots and was calm throughout.

Unlike Tuesdayâ€s nasty affair in Quebec City — where the teams combined for over 150 penalty minutes — Saturdayâ€s game was a much cleaner contest, featuring just 14 total minutes in penalties as both sides focused on hockey and getting ready for the new season.

Ottawa opened the scoring midway through the first period on a perfectly executed 2-on-1. Jake Sanderson carried the puck into the Montreal zone, waited for Shane Pinto to drive the net, and fed him a perfect centring pass that Pinto tapped into an open cage for a 1–0 lead.

The Senators doubled their advantage at 11:38 of the second when Nick Jensenâ€s point shot was redirected by David Perron, giving Ottawa a 2–0 edge. Dylan Cozens had a great chance to make it 3-0 on a shorthanded breakaway, but he was denied by Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeault.

Montreal pushed harder after that, generating several quality chances. Adam Engstrom nearly capitalized on a solo rush, easily dancing past Thomas Chabot, and Kaiden Guhle was turned aside twice — once on a 2-on-1 and again from the slot — but Ullmark stood tall.

The Canadiens finally broke through in the third when Lars Eller mishandled a puck in front of his own net. Attempting to settle it instead of clearing, that allowed Caufield to swat home the puck for Montreal’s only goal.

Eller redeemed himself later, sealing the win with an empty-netter to make it 3–1.

Neither team could convert on the power play — Ottawa went 0-for-2, while Montreal was 0-for-3. The Senators outshot the Canadiens 28–21.

Pinto earned first-star honours on the game sheet after an excellent performance, while Montembeault (26 saves) was named the second star. Arthur Kaliyev, who assisted on the opening goal, took third-star honours.

The victory capped off the preseason for the Sens (3-3), who now turn their attention to final roster cuts ahead of Mondayâ€s 5 pm deadline. The regular season opens on Thursday night in Tampa Bay against the Lightning.

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