Tonight’s game marked a big anniversary for the Ottawa Senators organization: the 30th anniversary of the first game ever played at the Canadian Tire Centre. It feels fitting, then, that this game was infuriating to say the least and also mostly attended by opposing fans. The Canadian Tire Centre experience.
Home games against the Habs are always frustrating because the crowd is usually more than half Habs fans, and tonight it was significantly more than half. This time around, the Sens went the extra mile to make sure the Habs and their fans felt at home by delaying the start of the game with a long pregame ceremony. I hope all the Habs fans in attendance were respectful as we celebrated the 30th anniversary of this beautiful arena that they clearly love so much.
We kicked off this milestone game with a penalty to Drake Batherson. Naturally, the worst penalty kill in franchise history (which is somehow not currently the worst penalty kill in the league – shoutout to Vancouver and Seattle) did its thing and the score was 1-0 Montreal just a few minutes in.
The Habs play pretty loose, high-event hockey, and that’s exactly what this game was. The two teams spent pretty much the entire first period going back and forth down the ice, even though neither one managed to put many pucks on net.
About 12 minutes in, Tim Stützle lost a puck battle right in the slot and just like that the puck was in the back of Ottawa’s net. Thankfully, the Habs had been way offside when entering the zone, so the goal was called back. A very lucky break for Ottawa.
The Sens didn’t play terribly after that, but they took another penalty late in the first period, and the first decent shot Merilainen faced went right through him. I don’t blame him for the first goal, but I absolutely do blame him for that second one. 2-0 Montreal.
The Sens did get a powerplay of their own right at the end of the first period. They didn’t score before the buzzer, but the Habs took another penalty right at the end, and the Sens didn’t waste the 5 on 3 opportunity. Right at the start of the second period, Sanderson took the puck to the net, and Giroux grabbed the rebound, but instead of shooting he passed it to Tkachuk, who buried it. 2-1 Montreal.
Goal 🔟 for the Tkaptain 🚨#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/65FMgIga3M
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) January 18, 2026
The Sens kept the pressure on even after the second penalty expired, and then Tim Stützle did his thing. He stole the puck in the corner, cut to the net, and pulled off an absolutely textbook between-the-legs goal. 2-2.
Through and through (the legs) this is nasty @timstuetzle18 🤮#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/KxU3rXriFk
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) January 18, 2026
I mean, it’s not “missing the net completely but accidentally banking the puck off a Leafs player and into the net during a playoff game,” but I’m sure Timmy is happy about his goal too.
Unfortunately, the next scoring chance for the Habs went right in. 3-2 Montreal.
Cousins went off for a high stick a bit after the halfway point, and the Sens pulled off the impossible: they killed off a penalty! Cousins even got a ridiculous chance after leaving the penalty box, and then promptly got into a fight, pulled the other guy’s helmet off, and got sent right back to the box.
This penalty kill was also decent. Stützle and Sanderson got a 2-on-1, and Demidov tripped Stützle trying to stop him, so the penalty was neutralized. The Sens completely dominated the minute of 4 on 4, and looked great on the powerplay too. Right as time was about to expire, Stützle batted the puck out of the air and sent a great pass to Cozens, who evened the score from the slot. 3-3.
Workhorse putting in that work 😤#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/ofSv1UrUbs
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) January 18, 2026
Then, right at the end of the second period, Zub sent a great shot from the point that Perron deflected, and the Sens got their first lead of the game. There was maybe a case for goaltender interference but the Habs didn’t challenge it. 4-3 Ottawa.
They all count the same 😅#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/WArSS9AJhH
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) January 18, 2026
The Sens looked very good to start the third. Of course, after about five minutes of play, Chabot pulled Gallagher’s helmet off (does this team just not fasten their helmets properly?) and the Habs got another powerplay opportunity. This time around, not only did the Sens kill of the penalty, but Sanderson scored right after it expired. 5-3 Ottawa.
NSFW but what Jake said 🗣️🗣️🗣️#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/U7nIzhyyGI
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) January 18, 2026
The Sens had been a better team by a wide margin throughout this game, but you can’t get complacent against a team like the Habs, especially not when you can’t trust your goaltending. Montreal pulled within one with just under 5 minutes left. That one was a lucky tip, but about a minute later they scored on a shot that Merilainen absolutely should have had, and just like that, the game was tied.
Montreal came very, very close to winning it in regulation in the final minute, but the Sens held on just long enough to get a point. Overtime was short-lived, as Stützle whiffed on a shot on a 2-on-2, the puck went the other way down the ice, and Suzuki scored to end the game.
Notable PerformancesThere’s no getting around this: Goaltending lost us this game. The Canadiens were not good, and the Senators outplayed them pretty thoroughly. Maybe 3 of those 6 goals against were even remotely excusable. The skaters did not play a perfect game, but their performance would have been enough to win if they had just had league average goaltending.I didn’t love Jensen or Cousins’ games tonight either.On a positive note, Tim Stützle is so good. He clearly hates the Habs so much. I love how much he elevates his game against them.Brady Tkachuk also had a great game.I also noticed Sanderson a lot. He made some great defensive plays and got involved offensively, so, you know, average Jake Sanderson game.Gameflow
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