The Ottawa Senators have to get up off the mat on one of the National Hockey League’s biggest stages. Read MoreGames between the Senators and Habs are emotional, toe-to-toe physical battles that normally bring out the best in both teams
Games between the Senators and Habs are emotional, toe-to-toe physical battles that normally bring out the best in both teams
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The Ottawa Senators have to get up off the mat on one of the National Hockey League’s biggest stages.
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Coming off a disgraceful 6-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Sunday, the Senators spent Monday travelling to Montreal to prepare to face the arch-rival Canadiens on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre.
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The Senators came apart at the seams against one of the NHL’s best teams and, with a 3-3-0 record on this seven-game trip, the club needs a victory over the Habs to close it out above .500.
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Sunday’s loss wasn’t the way the Senators wanted to close out the best November the organization has had in five years.
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This game might be exactly what the Senators need to halt a two-game losing streak that started with a 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Friday, as the club now sits outside a playoff spot.
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The opportunity is there for the Senators to right the ship.
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Games between the Senators and Habs are emotional, toe-to-toe physical battles that normally bring out the best in both teams. Captain Brady Tkachuk, who is back from thumb surgery, and top centre Tim Stutzle both have earned villain status with the Montreal fanbase.
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The Senators and Habs are two up-and-coming teams in the Atlantic Division. Both clubs have gone through lengthy and difficult rebuilds, but were able to get back to the playoffs last spring.
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They seem to bring out the best in each other, which is why so many of these games are hard-fought battles. The clubs haven’t met in the playoffs since 2015, but it’s still a strong rivalry and the bad blood has built up over the years.
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It will be interesting to see what changes, if any, coach Travis Green makes against the Habs. Given the history between these two teams, one or both of the club’s rugged wingers — Kurtis MacDermid and Hayden Hodgson — will return to the lineup.
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This is a game on the schedule where one of them has to play or there is no point in having them on the roster. MacDermid has only played eight of the club’s 25 games this season while Hodgson was called up from the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville two weeks ago.
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You can’t allow guys like Habs defenceman Arber Xhekaj and his brother, Florian, a forward, running around without someone to hold them accountable.
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That job shouldn’t fall on Tkachuk’s shoulders because he’s still recovering from the torn ligament in his thumb and probably should avoid fighting for the next little while.