The Senators’ preseason opener had the kind of late sting that sticks around for a while, even if the calendar says it’s only September.
Ottawa dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the Montreal Canadiens on the Kraft Hockeyville stage at Centre Vidéotron in Trois-Rivières, with more than 4,000 fans on hand. Dylan Cozens and William Eklund scored for the Senators, and Samuel Ersson turned aside 33 shots in a busy first outing.
Montreal’s Cole Caufield finished it with his second goal of the game, beating Ersson on the stick side in overtime.
For Ottawa, the night was as much about getting through the first checkpoint of camp as it was about the result. The Senators have already spent four days on the ice and are moving toward the next stretch of preseason work, which includes five exhibition games and two split-squad games before camp ends on Sunday.
There’s not much open in this camp, but a few young players are trying to force the issue and stay in Ottawa. President of hockey operations and general manager Steve Staios said he likes where the group stands.
“I made a commitment to my players and the fans that we weren’t going to take a step back. I feel good about where we’re at,” Staios told Sportsnet after the first period.
Ersson, acquired after spending his career with the Philadelphia Flyers, is projected to back up Linus Ullmark and signed a two-year deal. The Senators are counting on him to provide steady minutes in that role, and he showed enough to give the team something to build on despite the loss.
Ersson was direct about the finish.
“You want to come out with the win, especially leading late in the third. That stings a little bit,” said Ersson.
“There are things to build on for sure. It’s the preseason, it’s about getting a feel for the game.
There are definitely some good things.”
The first period was rough for Ottawa. Montreal outshot the Senators 13-4, and Ottawa spent too much time getting pushed around in its own end. That wasn’t the version of the club that has usually defined itself, especially with defense and puck possession at the core of what it does.
“That period was the opposite of what we’re typically about,” Staios said after the first. “We’re a possession team and a defensive team, but it’s the preseason. It was a bit of a shooting gallery.”
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