Habs coach asks GM to speak with Senators before preseason game

Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis admitted he's nervous heading into the final preseason game against Ottawa as tensions have risen in recent contests. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Evan Buhler

The final preseason game between the Canadiens and Ottawa Senators got so out of hand that Montreal head coach Martin St-Louis admitted to feeling a little apprehensive ahead of another camp-ending showdown between the two teams.

On Tuesday, Ridly Greig of the Senators applied a dangerous check to Kirby Dach in the first period.

Arber Xhekaj then dealt Tim Stützle a similar blow, and the Habs defenceman was sent off for the second game in a row.

The two teams will meet again on Saturday in Ottawa.

St-Louis said he had asked general manager Kent Hughes if he could talk to his counterpart in the Canadian capital, Steve Staios, to find out what kind of lineup he planned to deploy against the Canadiens.

"I'd like to know what Ottawa is thinking of doing too," said St-Louis on Friday after training at the Gilles-Cadieux arena in Mont-Tremblant.

"It's been an emotional camp, not just for us, we've seen it all over the league," he said. "It's disappointing to lose players. I hope we start the season healthy on Wednesday (against the Toronto Maple Leafs).

Last Saturday's preseason game against the Maple Leafs was also marked by incidents that had the whole hockey world talking.

Canadiens forward Patrik Laine sprained his left knee in a collision with Cédric Paré. Xhekaj was kicked out of the game after attempting to tackle Paré a short time later.

The Canadiens organised six preseason games this year, including two each against the Maple Leafs and the Senators, their two natural rivals in terms of geography and two division rivals.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 4, 2024.