Ottawa Senators defencemen Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot both made their exhibition debuts on Saturday, September 26, as the team closed out its preseason with a pair of split-squad games against the Montreal Canadiens.
Two games, same night
The Senators and Canadiens played two simultaneous preseason games at 7 p.m. on Saturday, one at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa and the other at Bell Centre in Montreal. The Ottawa game was streamed exclusively on the Senators' YouTube channel, while the Montreal game aired on TSN5 and RDS.
Why Chabot was late to camp
Chabot missed the Senators' first two exhibition games because his wife, Marion, was scheduled to give birth to the couple's first child any day. With that behind him, he suited up for Saturday's game in Ottawa alongside Sanderson, who made his own exhibition debut in the same lineup.
A lineup that looked like opening night
The group dressed for the Ottawa game closely resembled what the Senators are expected to ice on opening night, with the full top six forwards and the entire NHL defence group in uniform.
Sanderson's return carries extra weight given the Senators are likely to open the season without Artem Zub on the blue line, a loss that is already straining the team's defensive depth. Getting both Sanderson and Chabot into game action before the opener matters more than a typical preseason tune-up would.
Pinto still out
Third-line centre Shane Pinto missed his second consecutive practice on Friday and wasn't expected to play in either Saturday game. He sat out practice the day before with what the team described only as an injury of some kind, with no further detail available.
A Suzuki family first
One of the more personal storylines of the day belonged to Belleville: new Senators prospect forward Ryan Suzuki played against his brother Nick Suzuki for the first time ever in an NHL jersey, a matchup that added some extra intrigue to the split-squad format.
Looking for a first win
The Senators went into Saturday's doubleheader having lost all three of their previous preseason games, still searching for their first exhibition win of the fall. With training camp winding down and the regular season opener against Toronto on October 3 approaching fast, Saturday's games were as much about final roster looks as about snapping the losing skid.
What led here
The defence corps getting run out on Saturday comes together against a backdrop of roster shuffling elsewhere on the team. Ottawa recently dealt for goaltender Jonas Johansson after waiving Leevi Merilainen following a rough preseason outing, while forward Philip Tomasino continues pushing for a roster spot on a line with Shane Pinto and Nick Cousins. With the opener now just a week away, Saturday's split-squad games were one of the last chances for the coaching staff to see this group together before it counts.
Sources: Ottawa Citizen (via Yahoo News Canada), Silver Seven Sens, Yahoo Sports
