The Montreal Canadiens managed to score their first victory in a preparatory match thanks to their leaders, who led the charge in a 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday evening at the Bell Centre.
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Captain Nick Suzuki and his faithful sidekick Cole Caufield made their debuts in this preseason and they did not disappoint. With CH trailing 3-2 after 40 minutes, the dynamic duo took matters into their own hands.
The two attackers were accomplices in the net of their linemate Sean Monahan and Suzuki also fed Caufield, who scored the winning goal on a shot partially saved by Joonas Korpisalo.
Brandon Gignac and Juraj Slafkovsky gave the local favorites the lead in the first period. The young Slovak jumped on a puck that no one was able to control, after good forecheck work from Kirby Dach and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard. Remember that the first overall pick in the 2022 draft has not played since January 15.
Dach had a good match, he also imposed himself physically. He notably sent Egor Sokolov to the floor with a solid shoulder strike in the second period.
Mathieu Joseph may well be part of the transaction rumors, but he is not distracted. The Quebecer scored two goals in this meeting. He scored his first on a devastating wrist throw, surprising Jake Allen, and the second in a similar fashion at the expense of Cayden Primeau.
Separately, defender Mike Matheson was taken out of the lineup shortly before the initial whistle and was replaced by Kaiden Guhle. The Canadian specified that this was a preventative measure.
The Habs will play three games in a row against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Friday, Saturday and Monday.