Referees Pierre Lambert and Eric Furlatt nearly had to break out the riot pads for a preseason game between the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators in Quebec City on Tuesday night.
The two clubs combined for 150 minutes in penalties in a hard-fought game that saw five players ejected. Ottawa picked up 100 penalty minutes, led by Zack MacEwen (21), Jan Jenik (20), Donovan Sebrango (17) and Hayden Hodgson (17). Montreal earned 50 penalty minutes, with Arber Xhekaj (21) and Jayden Struble (15) leading the way.
The rough stuff started with a standard-issue first period scrap between Xhekaj and Jenik. It went downhill from there…
With Montreal leading 3-0 with 3:07 to go in the second period, the intensity – and frustration – started to pick up. Ottawa’s Hayden Hodgson picked up a boarding major for a hit on Alex Newhook. Players came together after the whistle with Hodgson going after the Habs’ Alex Carrier. Arber Xhekaj and Zack McEwen squared off. Montreal’s Jayden Struble delivered a cross check to the face of Jan Jenik along the benches, with the two players dropping the gloves — and Jenik getting the worst of it.
Senators forward Nick Cousins was the next to make his mark in the match, picking up a minor penalty for slashing the Habs’ Ivan Demidov, who left the game for medical attention. Cousins has since been fined for the slash.
Late in the third, Ottawa’s Donovan Sebrango slashed Canadiens forward Kirby Dach before tackling him and dropping the gloves. Sebrango was correctly whistled for 17 minutes in penalties: two for instigating, five for fighting, and a misconduct.
All those penalties resulted in 12 power plays on the night, though they were a bit lospided. Montreal went 3-for-10 on the power play; Ottawa was 0-for-2.
The Montreal Canadiens skated to a 5-0 win over the Ottawa Senators. Officials for the game were referees Pierre Lambert (#25) and Eric Furlatt (#27) with Michel Cormier (#76) and Jonny Murray (#95) on lines.
