The Montreal Canadiens put their recent surge to the test when they kick off a five-game road trip with a visit to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
The Canadiens hit the road winners of four straight to improve to 4-3 under interim coach Martin St. Louis. Only one of those seven games have been on the road, a shootout win against the New York Islanders on Feb. 20.
“As a player, I always enjoyed going on the road with my teammates,” St. Louis said. “Now, it’s a chance to be on the road not only with my players but everyone I work with. … It’s a chance to get to know each other, to chat about things other than hockey, learn about them as individuals, their paths, their families.
“It’s important to create those relationships. From the hockey side, it’s not easy to go on the road but I think we’re in a good spot. We feel good about our game. It’s a good time to go on the road and see where we are.”
Andrew Hammond will get the start in goal against the Senators, facing the club for the first time since Ottawa traded him to the Colorado Avalanche in 2017. Hammond spent parts of four seasons with the Senators, notably carrying the club on an improbable run to clinch a playoff spot in the spring of 2015.
“When I got traded (to Montreal) … you’re looking at the schedule and obviously this was a game that stuck out for me,” he said. “It’s special for a lot of reasons. Obviously my time there was highlight of my career and the people wrapped their arms around me and supported me like nothing I ever thought would be possible. Now to get the opportunity to come back and play, is obviously going to be very special.”
Center Nick Suzuki has five points in his past three contests, including two goals and an assist in a 4-0 win against Buffalo on Wednesday, after just one assist in his previous four.
The Senators are coming off a 4-3 win against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday and are looking for consecutive wins for the first time since Feb. 7-8. They are 2-1-1 in their past four games, with the two losses being tight affairs against quality opponents in the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers.
“I think we’re playing with a lot of structure, which is helping us have confidence out there and play within the team’s system,” forward Connor Brown said. “I think that’s been a big turning point for our group, the amount of structure we’ve been playing with.”
Center Colin White will make his season debut following preseason shoulder surgery. White, who had 10 goals and eight assists in 45 games last season, could see time on the wing as well in his return.
“It’s good to have him back,” Senators coach D.J. Smith said. “Obviously, he’s going to need some time to adjust. It’s been forever since he’s played. You can practice, do drills and do all the stuff you want but when you get out there and you get stuck at the end of a shift, you can’t mimic that fatigue or game situation, so you’ve got to be patient.”
–Field Level Media