MTL@OTT: One final evaluation

OTTAWA - For those players battling for roster spots, Saturday night's preseason game represented one last chance to make a good impression on the Canadiens' brass.

On the back end, defenseman Xavier Ouellet logged the most minutes of any player in the Habs' lineup, patrolling the blue line for 22:26 in the 3-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre.
The 25-year-old rearguard collected two shots on goal and dished out four hits during his fourth preseason outing, and finished the exhibition calendar with a pair of goals to his credit.
Was it enough to earn a roster spot? That remains to be seen.
"It isn't up to me to decide. I played the best I could. I had a good training camp, in general," said Ouellet, who signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Canadiens on July 1. "I was consistent. I was solid. I did my part, and the rest I have no control over. But, I'll be ready."

Fellow defenseman Simon Despres also appeared in his fourth and final preseason game on Saturday night, logging 15:55 of ice time.
The 27-year-old Laval native, who came to training camp on a professional tryout, was pleased with his showing over the last several weeks.
"I can look in the mirror and tell myself that I gave everything I could. It wasn't perfect. I made a few mistakes, but I'm still satisfied," mentioned Despres. "There was a period of adjustment [after playing last season with Bratislava Slovan in the KHL] and I'm still adjusting right now. I still have a lot of work to do to get my game back, but I'm confident."
If Despres doesn't find himself on the opening-night roster, though, he would still relish the opportunity to ply his trade in the AHL ranks with the Laval Rocket and eventually earn a call-up to the big club.
"I hope I've shown enough to earn a contract," said Despres, who collected one assist during the preseason. "If I have to spend time in Laval, I have no problem with that."

Julien on the loss in Ottawa and his thoughts on training camp
It certainly wasn't the way head coach Claude Julien was hoping his troops would close out preseason play, but the veteran bench was still pleased with the way his players performed during the exhibition schedule, posting a 4-3-0 record in seven games.
Some tough roster choices are on the horizon, according to Julien, with the start of the regular season set for Wednesday, October 3 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
"We didn't seem to have a lot of life against Ottawa, but overall we've had a really good training camp. I think I saw a lot of good things, so the decisions are going to be a lot tougher than they have been in the past," he explained. "We've got until Monday, and that's what we're going to do. We're going to make some decisions there, so that by the time we're done, we've hopefully re-grouped the best 23 players we can."

Praise from one Pori native to another
News that Jesperi Kotkaniemi had cracked the Canadiens' roster made fellow Finn - and fellow Pori native - Joel Armia, a very happy man.
"I'm really happy for him. I think he's been playing really well. I think he earned it," shared Armia. "It wasn't just given to him. I think he's been playing really good and he earned his spot."
Kotkaniemi was actually a big fan of Armia growing up.
Armia once starred for the Finnish Elite League club the Canadiens' young gun played for back home, Porin Ässät.