Senators Clobbered 5-0 By Montreal In Quebec City ‘Home’ Game

NHL preseason games are rarely memorable anyway, but the Ottawa Senators†matchup Tuesday night in Quebec City against the Montreal Canadiens is one theyâ€ll want to forget as quickly as possible. The Senators were dominated on the scoreboard and in the alley, falling 5–0 to the Habs, who got a whopping 10 power play chances on the night.

In a week when Ottawa had hoped to win over hockey fans in Quebec City, it ended with the pro-Canadiens crowd singing “Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye†in the final minutes.

It wasnâ€t a great outing for backup goalie Leevi Meriläinen, who played the entire game and surrendered five goals on 23 shots. Brendan Gallagher helped set up three of the five goals.

Quebec City hockey fans were treated to two of the easiest shutouts this week that youâ€ll ever see. In Sundayâ€s game, Linus Ullmark stopped 14 shots in Ottawa’s 2–0 win over the Devils, and on Tuesday, Jakub DobeÅ¡ needed only 16 saves for Montreal to blank the Senators.

The night was also filled with fights, which all went Montrealâ€s way. Jan Jenik got into two of them and left with a bloody nose that looked like it might be broken. That was part of a bizarre second period sequence that somehow left the Sens having to try and kill of a 5 on 3 power play. 

The Sens had over 100 penalty minutes in this game, and the Habs made them pay for their sins, going 3 for 10 on the power play. It doesn’t seem to matter if it’s preseason or regular season, Sens-Habs games always seem to boil over. They’ll be destination viewing again this season. 

The Senators were technically the home team, but the atmosphere felt like a game at the Bell Centre. This neutral-site series in Quebec City was intended to help Ottawa grow its fan base in the region, but former Nordiques fans in Quebec City have either long since converted to being Montreal supporters or were drowned out by Habs fans who bought up the tickets and made the trip up the highway. 

The Senators slip to 2-2 in preseason and will be in St. Louis for their next game on Thursday night.

More Sens Headlines From The Hockey News Ottawa:
Broadcast Frustrations Resurface For Senators Fans
Ullmark Sharp In Senators Victory, Embraces The Struggle
Stephen Halliday’s NHL Stock Continues to Rise
Former Senator Josh Norris Embraces New Opportunity To Prove Himself
Will This Be Shane Pinto’s Breakout Year With The Senators?
Batherson Joins Ottawa Senators List Of Preseason Injury Concerns

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