MEGA 50/50 RAFFLE
The Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation’s Mega 50/50 Raffle is back for the preseason! Each home and away game leading up to the start of the regular season will feature a new early bird prize. All tickets sold will be entered into a single grand prize jackpot, and the winning number will be drawn at the end of the home opener on October 9.
A single early bird prize remains, so buy your tickets early for more chances to win. Tonight’s prize: an autographed Saku Koivu Canadiens jersey! For more information, to see the list of prizes, or to buy your tickets, visit en.5050.canadiens.com. Fans must be 18+ and located in Quebec at the time of purchase to participate.
TEAM COMPARISONS
The Habs are taking the scenic route to Ottawa, via Mont-Tremblant, where the team’s training camp continued Wednesday through Saturday morning. Montreal’s northern retreat was reflective of the emotions of this year’s preseason. After a calm and collected opening two games of the exhibition calendar, temperatures rose in the Canadiens recent matchups against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Senators. For Martin St-Louis and his staff, staying healthy through Saturday night’s game is the top priority.
Montreal’s five-on-five play has been strong through their five tune up games, giving up just two goals at even strength. However, special teams remains a burden. The Habs allowed four power play goals last time out and have yet to convert on a man advantage of their own. St-Louis’ squad will look to flip the script tonight ahead of Wednesday’s season opener.
Tonight’s outing is the second of a back-to-back for the Senators, who enter Canadian Tire Centre with momentum on the heels of a 4-3 comeback win over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday. Overall, Ottawa is 4-1-1 in the preseason, including a 4-3 win over the Canadiens on Tuesday.
LINEUP NEWS
(Update: 11:45 a.m. ET) Saturday’s full lineup has yet to be announced, but head coach Martin St-Louis confirmed during his pregame media availability in Mont-Tremblant that forwards Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield and Kirby Dach will sit out against the Senators. The Canadiens bench boss also confirmed that defensemen Kaiden Guhle and Arber Xhekaj will be in uniform in Ottawa, with a few players being recalled from the Laval Rocket later in the day. Samuel Montembeault is set to start in goal. Follow the Canadiens on Instagram, X and Facebook to see the full roster for tonight’s game later today.