The offensive experience in the Canadian camp continues to be conclusive.

Two days after Josh Anderson showed great solidarity alongside Alex Newhook, two other trios from the Montreal hockey club looked good on Wednesday evening at the Bell Centre.

Three players who finished last season on the sidelines swapped ropes – Juraj Slafkovsky, Sean Monahan and Cole Caufield – and the Habs defeated the Ottawa Senators 4-3 in a preseason game.

Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach had good moments offensively, especially early in the game. Slafkovsky had numerous chances to score and scored after a good attempt from his linemate.

“He’s big and strong,” Dach said of Slafkovsky. If he finds a way to find the open spaces like Cole did, it will be difficult to stop him because he also has a good shot. »

The trio of Nick Suzuki, Caufield and Monahan were also threatening offensively for the Habs. Monahan and Caufield scored in the third period.

“Any time you score and win, it’s a good feeling,” Monahan said. Personally, I just want to get my timing back, touch the puck and feel like I’m playing in front of fans again. »

Brandon Gignac also scored for the Canadian.

Defender Mike Matheson was scheduled to play his first preseason game but was ultimately replaced by Kaiden Guhle. A Habs spokesman stated that Matheson had been removed from the squad “as a preventative measure.”

“He has been struggling with discomfort for a few days,” said Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis. I’m pretty sure he would have been in the lineup if it had been a regular game. We have the luxury of being able to be careful and wait a little. »

Slafkovsky and Guhle are the only two Canadiens players to have appeared in the team’s first two preseason games.

In both cases, their performance was significantly better than on Monday against the New Jersey Devils.

Jake Allen allowed two goals on 12 shots in 30:15 minutes of play. Cayden Primeau took the lead and made 17 saves.

Mathieu Joseph scored two goals for the Senators and was the state capital club’s best player. Dominik Kubalik also scored, while Joonas Korpisalo stopped 17 shots.

The game was interrupted by numerous penalties. The Canadian took advantage of one of his six power play opportunities while the Senators were 1-8.

The Canadian will continue his preparation by hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Center on Friday and Saturday.

A tough game

The game was lively from the first sequence. Nick Suzuki was brought down by Mark Kastelic, then Monahan and Caufield had chances to score.

The Canadian scored the first goal at 6:27. Gignac deflected Jared Davidson’s shot with his leg and Korpisalo was unable to stop the puck as he collided with teammate Travis Hamonic.

Slafkovsky doubled the Habs’ lead with 6:16 left in the first period. Dach and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard joined forces to cancel a zone exit for the Senators. Roof then joined William Trudeau in the enclave. Trudeau juggled the puck, which deflected off a Senators player. Slafkovsky was in the right place at the right time and beat Korpisalo.

“Kirby was very committed physically and mentally and it showed,” St-Louis admitted.

The game remained intense in the second period and the Senators turned the tide by scoring three goals.

Kubalik started the momentum by scoring on a cross-ice pass from Jiri Smejkal on the power play at 2:45.

Joseph tied the game 7-12 as the teams played four-on-four. He crossed the ice and then surprised Allen with a high shot.

The Quebec forward returned to the attack at 14:53, again four-on-four. At about the same point he struck Primeau, aiming for the side of the shield.

Monahan scored at 5:36 of the final period to make the final score 3-3. He benefited from a generous return from Korpisalo after a good shot from Caufield in a sequence initiated by Suzuki.

Caufield then gave the Canadian the lead on a power play with 8:17 left. His shot evaded Korpisalo and slipped behind the goal line.

The Canadian then managed to close the door.

To watch in the video