Training Camp Open Thread: Senators vs Canadiens

Oct 4, 2022 - 4:00 PM

After one of the most exciting preseason games in recent memory, which ended in a 5-4 overtime victory against the Montreal Canadiens, the Ottawa Senators play their second of four games tonight against their division rivals. Here’s how they lined up in practice yesterday:

• The Sens have assembled a roster for tonight's game that will largely resemble what we’ll be seeing on opening night. Every player on a one-way contract, with the exception of Nikita Zaitsev and the injured Cam Talbot, is included. This implies the central battle for that sixth spot on the blueline will be between Erik Brannstrom and Jacob Bernard-Docker. Both have had standout games in this camp.

• As head coach D.J. Smith mentioned yesterday, another key decision regarding the roster will be the 4C spot. Mark Kastelic appears to be ahead of Dylan Gambrell at the moment, but PTO Derick Brassard put himself on the map with a two-assist performance on Saturday. Over the past several years, Brassard has worked extremely hard to extend his career by securing depth roles with various teams, including the Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers last year. While he may not be one of the team’s four most effective centres, he’d be a decent depth forward to keep around. The team would have to be very unlucky to have the same injury woes at centre that they did last year, but just in case, having a player like Brassard to help out on the power-play whenever necessary would be a nice safety net to have around.

• Tonight’s game is set for 7:00 PM EST, and available on TSN2, TSN5, RDS, and TSN1200.