Canadiens beat Senators 5-0 in rough preseason game

MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens beat the Ottawa Senators 5-0 in a preseason game Tuesday at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, a matchup that featured multiple fights, heavy penalties and several contentious incidents that left one visiting player bloodied and coaches questioning the utility of the exhibition contest.

Montreal built a 1-0 lead after the first period and extended it with second-period goals from Patrik Laine and Alexandre Carrier, scored 41 seconds apart. Oliver Kapanen, Lane Hutson and Kirby Dach added goals later. Jakub Dobes recorded the shutout, stopping 16 shots, while the Canadiens went 3 for 10 on the power play; Ottawa was 0 for 2. The teams combined for roughly 150 penalty minutes and Montreal assisted on multiple goals, with Brendan Gallagher credited with three assists and Alex Newhook and Ivan Demidov each with two.

The game repeatedly broke down into fisticuffs and bench-clearing confrontations. Ottawa center Jan Jenik was left bloodied after what Senators coach Travis Green described as a crosscheck to the face by Montreal defenseman Jayden Struble; Jenik went to the dressing room for repairs. Senators veteran Nick Cousins was penalized and...