The Habs suffered their first loss of the season in their home opener vs the Ottawa Senators.

The crowd was bositerous and loud during the pre-game introductions. Large ovations in particular for Alex Kovalev and Mike Ribeiro but nothing compared to Captain Saku Koivu.

The crowd lost some steam with Ottawa scoring an early goal. The Habs rebounded and played only what can be considered a strong 2 periods. Going into the third, it was 2 -2. Coming out it was 4-2. Ottawa proved what it is to be a world class team with world class athletes. Love him or hate him Daniel Alfredsson is a fantastic hockey player, a clutch guy who comes through when needed. That’s exactly what he did tonight, tying the game up shorthanded on a solid 1 on 1 play.

Raitis Ivanans had his first official tilt of the season, if you can call it that. Taking on 6′9 monster Zdeno Chara, he took little time whipping him to the ground only to suffer a cheap shot late punch from Chara that connected well enough to excuse Ivanans from the penalty box in order to seek attention in the dressing room. Watching it on tape after the game, it seems to be a clear cheap shot.

The Canadiens can take some positives out of this game, they played a respectable game against one of the best teams in the league. Tonight you could see the difference between a divisional winner and a runner up.

Next up is the very dangerous offense of the Atlanta Thrashers.