On a 1-4-2 stretch going into Tuesday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators, the Montreal Canadiens were looking to find results that matched their efforts. Against Carolina, New York, and San Jose, the team had played well for long periods, but some bad luck or momentary lapses hurt them. While they smashed the Rangers on Saturday, they slipped up against the Sharks the following night.
Conversely, the Senators had won their last three games, including a 6-2 drubbing of the Sharks on the night Erik Karlsson returned to Ottawa, making this a matchup of two teams on different runs of form.