Montreal Canadiens Shut Out by Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre

The Montreal Canadiens faced a challenging night at the Canadian Tire Centre, with their record now standing at 0-1 after a tough game against the Ottawa Senators. The final scoreline read 5-0 in favor of the home team, leaving the Canadiens to reflect on what might have been.

The game began with both teams unable to break through in the first period. However, as play progressed, it was clear that the Ottawa Senators were gaining momentum. They capitalized on this in the second period with an impressive three goals and followed up with two more in the third period. The Senators' shooting accuracy was notable, converting five of their 36 shots into goals.

On the other side of the ice, despite a valiant effort from Montreal's goaltender who made 31 saves throughout the match, it wasn't enough to keep out all of Ottawa's attempts. One goal managed to find its way past during a shorthanded situation for Montreal and another during an empty net play.

The Canadiens' offense struggled against a staunch Senators defense and an impenetrable goaltending performance that saved all 28 shots they faced. Even when presented with powerplay opportunities – three chances totaling six minutes – Montreal could not capitalize; their seven powerplay shots were all turned away.

Defensively speaking, Montreal did put up some resistance; they blocked 13 shots and delivered a hefty total of 42 hits over three periods. In faceoffs too they held their own winning slightly more than half at 51 percent but ultimately these efforts did not translate into points on the board.

Looking ahead for fans of The Montreal Canadiens is another opportunity for redemption as they prepare to host The Ottawa Senators once again at Bell Centre in Montreal on February 1st. This upcoming match will be available for viewing across various networks including ESPN+ online nationally and TSN2 and TSN5 internationally on television along with RDS for international French-speaking viewers starting from midnight Eastern Time.