Fans welcome back Ottawa Senators for home opener against Montreal

Center Tomas Plekanec led the Canadiens (3-0-0) with a pair of goals, while center Torrey Mitchell had the other. Eller’s two-goal performance Saturday was the second in as many contests for Montreal as captain Max Pacioretty scored twice versus the Maple Leafs on Wednesday.ABOUT THE SENATORS (2-0-0): Hoffman’s goal Saturday was the first of his career in a shootout. After an easy first period, Condon was sharp on early tests in the second. Ottawa opened up with a 3-1 win over Buffalo and has now gone under in four of five games.

When it came down to the powerplay opportunities given to the Habs, it was one giant bust fest with the team going back to the classic pass to P.K. Subban in hopes for that one-timer that’s nearly always stopped in it’s tracks. He also tracked the puck well and showed that he has similar composure to Carey Price, which is good if you’re wanting to be a top goaltender but bad if you have a team starting to rely on you to win the game for them.

“It was a long night”.

Montreal got another goal from Plekanec in the first period, before Jean-Gabriel Pageau broke Condon’s shutout with a shorthanded tally in the second period.

“Honestly, I had a lot of energy going into the game, but once the first shot comes, all the interior monologue just quiets down and your training takes over”, Condon said. It went in off rookie goaltender Matt O’Connor’s skate.

Matt O’Connor made 31 saves for Ottawa in his National Hockey League debut. O’Connor is a solid prospect, but he stills needs a few work.

While neither team scored a power-play goal, Montreal had seven chances with the man advantage, while Ottawa had just four. the Senators didn’t agree with the disparity. 921 save percentage to go along with his 23-19-6 record…. It could be a heated game, especially since the Canadiens eliminated the Senators from the first round of the playoffs a year ago in six games.