This will come as a surprise to many but it appears as though the Ottawa Senators might not suck.
The team said they were rebuilding, they traded away some of their most talented players and the experts told us the Senators would be terrible. We started watching Alexis Lafreniere videos, we readied our favourite tank memes and we braced ourselves for the worst.
They lost their first three games and we googled things like “fewest points in NHL season” and “non-hockey related winter hobbies”.
But as the season as evolved, a strange thing started to happen. It was early in DJ Smith’s tenure but there were signs that things might actually be pointed in the right direction.
Competitive games against top teams. Dominant performances against basement dwellers. The Ottawa Senators looked kind of decent.
And now, with the whole team clearly buying what DJ Smith is selling, the Sens look like…well they look like a team.
Winners of five of their last seven. For the first time, eyes are glancing upwards in the standings rather than down below.
The Ottawa Senators look to keep things rolling in the right direction tonight in Montreal.
The Canadiens are off to a strong start this season which as you might expect, makes their insufferable fans even worse. We all know one. A confident Habs fan is as obnoxious as it gets.
Of course all you have to do is whisper Pageau’s name and they usually slunk away.
Pageau has tormented the Habs for years and now, he’s doing it to the rest of the league too. He might score 10 tonight.
Back to back for the Senators so no game day skate. DJ Smith is expected to meet with the media at 4:45 PM so we’ll confirm the line up then.
Paul-Pageau-C. Brown
Tkachuk-L. Brown-Duclair
Namestnikov-White-Ennis
Chlapik-Tierney-Veronneau
Chabot-Zaitsev
Borowiecki-DeMelo
Hainsey-Goloubef/Brannstrom
Craig Anderson is expected to get the start in goal for the Senators.
Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:30 PM although if there is a pregame ceremony planned, it’s likely closer to 9:00 PM. The game is available across the Sportsnet network or can be streamed, if that’s your thing.
Voici la table tête2tête.
| HEAD2HEAD |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 9-11-1 (19 pts) | 11-6-4 (26 pts) |
| Goals For | 2.81 (T-20th) | 3.43 (8th) |
| Goals Against | 3.40 (21st) | 3.14 (19th) |
| Power Play | 8.3% (31st) | 19.7% (16th) |
| Penalty Kill | 82.7% (14th) | 71.2% (31st) |
| Shots For | 29.7 (23rd) | 33.8 (6th) |
| Shots Against | 34.0 (29th) | 32.5 (23rd) |
| Pageaus | 1 | 0 |
| Leading Scorers | Pageau- 16 pts Brown- 15 pts Duclair- 14 pts |
Tatar- 20 pts Weber- 17 pts Gallagher- 16 pts |
| Starting Goalie | Craig Anderson 3-7-0 3.31 GAA, .894 sv% |
Keith Kinkaid 1-1-2 4.23 GAA, .887 sv% |
***
Earlier today, the NHL and the NHLPA issued a joint statement regarding Ottawa forward Bobby Ryan. Ryan will be away from the team for an undetermined amount of time while taking part in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. This is a good reminder that pro athletes are just people, each dealing with their own lives and challenges away from the rink. And that’s a good thing to keep in mind when we criticize players for their on-ice performance. Bobby Ryan has been a first class representative of the Sens organization since arriving here in Ottawa. Good on him for taking this step and for getting help with whatever he’s dealing with. Get well soon, Bobby!
