Habs beat Sens 4–3: Training Camp Check-in
Joseph led the way with a pair of goals last night
Last night's game didn't go the way we wanted, but it's preseason so the score doesn't matter, right? Losing 4–3 to Montreal is less than ideal, but we all know it doesn't count for anything. When the Sens beat the Leafs in the preseason, it's a clear statement of the two teams' quality. When the Sens lose in the preseason? Meaningless!
Last night was one of those weird games where every goal ended up being scored on the same net, with the Habs scoring two in each of the first and the third, while Ottawa scored three in the second.
Joonas Korpisalo got the full game, and unfortunately finished with an .810 save percentage, but he did have some good moments. He also got shaken up early in the game, but seemed to be uninjured. The big star for Ottawa though was Mathieu Joseph, who played nearly 22 minutes (most among forwards), took 4 shots, and scored 2 goals.
With the help of some Quick Maths we are tied in this one! 💨 🚨 #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/jHlxpnHm02
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) September 28, 2023
Copy, Paste #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/2pufifFQok
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) September 28, 2023
The other Sens goal came courtesy of Dominik Kubalik on the powerplay.
A smooth finish on the man advantage gets us back within one! 🚨 #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/sQ2v5eeLeY
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) September 28, 2023
That wasn't quite enough, and noted Sens Killer Cole Caufield scored the winner.
Some more thoughts from training camp:
- DJ Smith is the kind of coach who shows his season plans even in preseason. After all, he played Chabot and Chychrun for 30 min each against the Leafs, and they are locks in the top four. So maybe the most interesting thing he did tonight was play Erik Brännström for over 30 min, more than 10 min more than JBD. Some of that was the high number of powerplays, but still, it seems DJ expects Bränny to be in his opening night lineup
- On the forward side, we saw Joseph and Kubalik up over 20 min, Bailey just under 20, Smejkal at 18, Greig at 17, and Kastelic at 16. Interestingly, Sokolov and MacEwen were both down under 13. It seems quite possible Josh Bailey is signed to a league-minimum deal, and Sokolov goes back down to the AHL again.
-Along those same lines, it seems like a safe bet that Imama, Sebrango, Toure, Chartier, and Reinhardt will all be sent down soon
- The Sens will practice in two groups tomorrow, so we may get an even better idea who's in and who isn't.
- Next game is Friday at 7 pm, with the Winnipeg Jets coming to town
