All you need to know ahead of the Montreal Canadiens' duel with the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night.
If the Montreal Canadiens' duel with the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t satisfy your appetite for a rivalry game, you may be luckier on Wednesday night when the Habs will take on the Ottawa Senators for one last time this season. The Habs made their way to the nation’s capital last night, after the win over Toronto, they’ll take on a team that’s playing much better these days. The hosts are on a three-game win streak and have a 7-1-2 record in their last 10 games. They are currently sixth in the Atlantic division, but unlike Toronto, they do not look like they’ve given up on making the playoffs.
Montreal has won two of the three duels between the two sides so far this season, including the last meeting, a 6-5 win on January 17, where the Habs staged a two-goal comeback in the third frame before winning in overtime. The Senators’ goaltending was atrocious on the night, with Leevi Merilainen giving up six goals on just 19 shots. The 23-year-old has since been sent down to the AHL. Each of the two teams has won five of the last 10 duels.
Neither team has confirmed its starter yet, and while the Canadiens will not have a morning skate, coach Martin St-Louis will speak to the media around 11:15 AM. We should know then if he’s making any changes to his lineup. Under regular circumstances, it would make sense for Samuel Montembeault to get the net in the second game of a back-to-back, but his struggles this season could mean Jakub Dobes gets a second game in as many days. After all, the Czech netminder wasn’t overly busy against the Leafs, and last season, Montembeault started back-to-back games in the run-up to Christmas while Cayden Primeau was having a crisis of confidence.
Montembeault has started all three games against Ottawa this season and has a 4.29 goals-against average and an .838 save percentage in the season series. The Becancour native has taken on Ottawa 10 times so far in his career and has a 5-5-0 record with a 3.52 GAA and a .874 SV. As for Dobes, he has yet to have the pleasure of facing the Habs’ Ontarian rivals. However, early Wednesday morning, the Canadiens announced that they had called up Jacob Fowler. It wouldn't make sense to call him up and let him sit, so it seems likely that he'll have the net tonight.
At the other end of the ice, veteran James Riemer, who signed with the Sens when the starter Linus Ullmark took a personal leave of absence, has an 8-7-4 record against the Habs with a 3.04 GAA and a .906 SV. Riemer was in the net for the Sens’ last game on Monday night and made 16 saves in a 2-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks. As for Ullmark, he has a 5-4-1 record against Montreal with a 3.27 GAA and a .874 SV.
Up front, it will be interesting to see if Cole Caufield will be well enough to play a second game in as many nights. The diminutive winger only saw 10:27 of action against Toronto as he wasn’t feeling well. Brendan Gallagher is the Habs’ most productive forward against Ottawa with 29 points in 51 games, but captain Nick Suzuki is catching up fast. The center has 26 points in 32 games, while Philip Danault comes in third place with 24 points in 39 games. As for Caufield, playing against the Sens normally brings out the best of him; he has 19 points in just 17 games, and the same can be said about Lane Hutson, who has nine points in just seven games.
Meanwhile, Claude Giroux leads the Sens in points against the Canadiens with 40 points in 54 games, but captain Brady Tkachuk is catching up fast with 30 points in 32 games. Drake Batherson is in third place, with 29 points in just 31 games. Unfortunately for the Senators, Jake Sanderson, who always performs well against the Habs, is currently week-to-week with an upper-body injury. The blueliner has 12 points in his last 10 games against the Habs, including a four-point night in the last duel.
The game is set to start at 7:30 PM, and you can catch it on Sportsnet or RDS. Mitch Dunning and Tom Chmielewski are set to officiate, while Bevan Mills and Jonny Murray will be the linemen, the same quartet that worked Tuesday’s game against Toronto. After the game, the Canadiens will head right back to Montreal and enjoy a day off on Thursday before taking on the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks in back-to-back games this weekend.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.
Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here.