Canadiens and Senators split the results to close out training camp

Ridly Greig (71) of the Ottawa Senators battles for position with Mike Matheson (8) of the Montréal Canadiens during the second period of the Preseason NHL game between the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens on September 26, 2026, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Canadiens’ veterans ended the Montreal team’s training camp on a high note.

Juraj Slafkovsky recorded a goal and two assists, while Phillip Danault and Noah Dobson each tallied a goal and an assist, and the Habs defeated the Ottawa Senators 4-2 on Saturday night at the Bell Centre.

For Ottawa, Claude Giroux had a goal and two assists, and the Senators defeated the Canadiens 4-3 at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Canadiens had decided to field most of their veteran forwards in Montreal. They responded well, creating several scoring chances against a group labeled “American Hockey League” in the Senators’ camp.

Chris Kreider also scored for the Canadiens. Jacob Fowler allowed two goals on 18 shots before being replaced by Samuel Montembeault after 30:43 of play. Montembeault stopped all 14 shots he faced. Philip Tomasino and Tyler Boucher scored for the Senators. Samuel Ersson made 22 saves.

In Ottawa, Sasha Pastujov recorded a goal and an assist, while Brett Berard and Alex Belzile also scored for the Canadiens. Jakub Dobes stopped 21 shots.

Drake Batherson, William Eklund, and Carter Yakemchuk scored the Senators’ other goals. Linus Ullmark made 20 saves.

The main downside of the evening for the Canadiens was their performance on the penalty kill.

The Senators scored all six of their goals on the power play. The Canadiens will kick off their season on Tuesday when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Cream Rises to the Top Both teams quickly traded scoring chances. Ersson made his presence known early with some great saves against Alex Newhook and Florian Xhekaj. At the other end of the rink, Christian Kyrou caught Fowler off guard but hit the post.

The Senators opened the scoring at 11:54 on a power play. Tomasino beat Fowler with a precise shot to the goalie’s glove side. The Canadiens responded at 13:31. Kreider capitalized on a loose puck in front of the Senators’ net to beat Ersson.

The Senators retook the lead with 40.5 seconds remaining in the first period. Boucher scored on another power play, following a cross-ice pass from Xavier Bourgault.

The Canadiens quickly tied the game again, this time 47 seconds into the second period. Dobson beat Ersson on the power play with a powerful one-timer.

Fowler made two fine saves against Boucher and Ridley Greig before giving way to Montembeault. The latter was quickly put to the test during a Senators power play. The Quebec-born goaltender was on fire, making difficult saves in quick succession against Kasper Halttunen and Jaxon Cover.

Slafkovsky then gave the Canadiens their first lead of the game 6:13 into the third period. He lost the puck while charging toward the net but managed to regain possession before beating Ersson with a shot into the top corner.

The Slovak forward set up Danault at 12:56, giving the Canadiens an insurance goal.

Montembeault was solid down the stretch, allowing fans to celebrate a bit before the real work begins.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 27, 2026.