The Senators and Canadiens field star-studded home lineups in a final split-squad night of evaluations in Ottawa and Montreal.
For the second time in four days, the Senators will play two games at the same time on Saturday night, both beginning at 7 pm. Just as they did against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday, the Senators will play two against the Canadiens, one in Montreal and one in Ottawa.
Both teams have loaded up their rosters for the home finales, because while decisions still need to be made, this will be their final dress rehearsals before the regular season begins. For the Habs, that’s just three days away.
The Sens, meanwhile, have a little more breathing room. Their season won’t start until Oct. 3 in Toronto as they open with a three-game road trip.
Saturday marks one last chance for both organizations to evaluate players before the regular season arrives.
By contrast, both teams have primarily sent their younger, less experienced groups on the road. In theory, the home fans should go home happy, but preseason hockey has a funny way of ignoring theory.
The Senators’ projected home lineup, according to Julian McKenzie of the Athletic, has plenty of familiar faces.
Forwards
Eklund — Stützle — Zetterlund
Burakovsky — Cozens — Batherson
Amadio — Halliday — Giroux
Cousins — Bakke Olssen — Hodgson
Defence
Chabot — Spence
Sanderson — Stanley
Kleven — Yakemchuk
Goaltenders
Ullmark
Parsons
Despite some early chemistry with William Eklund, Dylan Cozens will centre Andre Burakovsky and Drake Batherson. Travis Green obviously wants to see what Eklund looks like with Tim Stützle in the middle.
Hoyt Stanley gets an amazing opportunity on Jake Sanderson’s right side. If you get paired with the team’s best player on the final night of the preseason, that tells you loud and clear that you’ve turned some heads at camp. Eskild Bakke Olssen has also impressed enough to get a look with the top group.
Meanwhile, Carter Yakemchuk gets one last chance to make his case, playing alongside Tyler Kleven again.
Facing the Habs’ second team in the 5-6 spot will be a much easier assignment for Yakemchuk than the 25 and a half minutes he played against Toronto’s best on Wednesday. The Sens were caved in for a 6-1 loss.
Sanderson and Thomas Chabot will make their preseason debuts tonight.
That's big for a Senators blue line whose depth is already being tested by the probable loss of Artem Zub for the start of the season. Sanderson has been dealing with a minor injury while Chabot has missed some time for family reasons.
That’s the good news. The bad? Still no Shane Pinto, who’s missed practice the last couple of days. Pinto played in Wednesday's split-squad game against Toronto. He didn’t practice on Thursday because “he came in a little sore,” according to Green. Pinto hasn’t practiced since.
Winger Warren Foegele is also still out of the lineup but he is back skating. The good news for all the dinged up players is that there are still seven days before the Sens’ regular season opener. At this point in the preseason, there's little reason for Ottawa to push a player through something that isn't completely settled.
The Senators and Canadiens have already met once this preseason, with Montreal winning 3-2 in overtime in Trois-Rivières, thanks to two goals from Cole Caufield, including the tying goal in the third period followed by the overtime winner.
So, once again on Saturday, it’s two Sens games in two cities, with one last chance to impress.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
