Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens were in Quebec City on Tuesday, facing the Ottawa Senators in the penultimate game of the preseason.
Of course, given that the Habs were playing the Senators, we were guaranteed a match-up that would feature a few goals sprinkled between a long list of fights.
The hated rivals did not take long to renew their bad blood, with the Xhekaj brothers leading the physical charge for the Canadiens.
In the end, the Habs dominated both the fights and the goals, emerging with a well-deserved 5-0 win.
Let’s dive into the highlights!
Demidov Is Ready, So Is Hutson
Before we discuss the goals, we have to cover a little actual hockey.
I’d argue Ivan Demidov was Montreal’s best player on Monday, but we do have to give credit to Oliver Kapanen, who scored the opening goal of the game.
Demidov zone entry leads to a nice give-and-go, Newhook and Matheson with the assists on the Kapanen goal. 1-0 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/XX2Iz5a9r7
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) September 30, 2025
Demidov continued to shine on the second goal of the game, using his excellent vision and patience to open up a perfect passing lane, which led to Patrik Laine’s 2-0 goal.
Ivan Demidov takes a few seconds to find Patrik Laine on the powerplay. 2-0 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/RIL12mSUUK
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 1, 2025
Shortly after Alex Carrier made it 3-0, phenom Lane Hutson scored his second goal of the preseason, yet more evidence that he worked on his shot throughout the summer. I’m still not expecting Hutson to score 30+ goals any time soon, but if he can add a few more goals to his tally, the sky is the limit.
Lane Hutson makes it 4-0 for the #GoHabsGo.
No celebration from the Calder Trophy winner. pic.twitter.com/xCv3Q1BwMd
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 1, 2025
Kirby Dach got into the action, scoring a high-difficulty goal late in the third period, making it 5-0 for the Habs. Again, I do apologize for the lack of commentary, but it was a very busy game, and these instant recaps have to be out by the time the final whistle blows.
Brendan Gallagher puts it into the middle for Kirby Dach, and he gets one.
Dach has been better tonight than in his last preseason game IMO. pic.twitter.com/k5opIa7uws
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) October 1, 2025
Canadiens vs. Senators Fight Card
Full credit to Jan Jenik for attempting to inject some energy into the Senators lineup, but Florian Xhekaj took the decision in one of the few relatively even fights of the night. Xhekaj ended up getting the crowd going, also winning the battle of the momentum. Believe it or not, this was the high point of the night for Jenik.
Florian Xhekaj and Jenik exchange punches at centre ice. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/z6yKRsvebQ
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) September 30, 2025
Arber Xhekaj proceeded to remind Zack MacEwen that the last time these two met, things went horribly wrong for the Senators player. This time around, Xhekaj made quick work of MacEwen, and was clearly looking for a longer fight to inflict a little more punishment.
IT’S FIGHT NIGHT BETWEEN THE SENS AND HABS pic.twitter.com/AkxhUVTqVM
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 1, 2025
The most violent fight was also rather short, as it included Jayden Struble landing an absolute monster of an overhand right, making it a night to forget for Jenik, who also took a crosscheck up high before the biggest scrum of the night broke out.
Xhekaj quickly drops MacEwen, Struble lands a HUGE punch on Jenik, who goes down hard. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/kxGNXDcXyV
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 1, 2025
Jenik was in need of repairs once he was done getting tuned up by Struble.
Jennik also took a crosscheck to the face before the scrum. Either way, he was a mess after the fight with Struble. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/jjn9LojfhJ
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 1, 2025
The final significant scrum featured yet another loss by MacEwan, not to mention a second fight win by F. Xhekaj, this time he tossed Tyler Yakemchuk with the greatest of ease.
I have to say, it’s highly entertaining to watch the Senators absolutely lose their minds whenever they spot a Xhekaj on the ice, only to end up losing a series of one-sided fights as they attempt to set the physical tone. They have no one in their lineup that can match up to either Arber or Florian, and yet they keep trying.
Yakemchuk is tossed by F.Xhekaj.
I get the sense these two teams MAY NOT love each other. pic.twitter.com/5sbpbK4zs4
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 1, 2025
It was an embarrassing outing for the Senators, from start to stop. It should also be noted that Ivan Demidov was forced to leave the game after full-time rat and part-time hockey player Nick Cousins landed a rather dirty slash. Of course, Cousins only found his bravery once both Xhekajs were kicked out of the game, another shocking development.
Noted dirtbag Nick Cousins with a straight up axe chop at Ivan Demidov’s wrist. pic.twitter.com/Q4eDik94r8
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) October 1, 2025
The Montreal Canadiens are set to play the final game of the preseason versus the Ottawa Senators on October 4. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm ET.
All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.
