It’s been a month-and-a-half since the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens last met, and the geographical rivalry will continue on Saturday night in Ottawa, while the Senators also celebrate the 30th anniversary of Canadian Tire Centre.
“Yeah, it’s a massive game. We know that it’s going to take all of us to get the job [done],” said Brady Tkachuk. “Expect it to be a highly intense, highly emotional game. Two teams that both need a win, and of course, these games are always fun to play in. So, something that we’re looking forward to, and just excited for the puck drop tonight.”
Tkachuk is coming off his first four-point performance of the season, as he scored once and added three assists to help propel the Senators to their first eight-goal game of the year. His new linemates, Dylan Cozens and Ridly Greig, both added three points.
“Yeah, I mean when things aren’t going great you try to just create a spark anyway that we can. I think it showed last game that for me, especially, I love playing with ‘Coz’ and ‘Rids’, and I thought for our first game we had instant chemistry, and something that really excites me is that I know there’s more to get to, there’s another level we can get to as a line and as individuals, but I think it just shows the depth we have on our team, that anybody can play with anybody.”
Meanwhile, Travis Green admitted that the new fourth line which emerged during that line shuffle — Nick Cousins, Lars Eller, and David Perron — makes the decision on who to dress tonight more challenging. Kurtis MacDermid drew into the lineup both of the previous meetings this season with Montreal but hasn’t played yet in January.
“We take a lot of factors into what our lineup looks like every game,” said Green. “Obviously we’ve liked [their] play. I would say yes, [their play] does.”
