“I was kind of freaked out,” Canadiens forward Kirby Dach said of the preseason struggle

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Whether it's the spate of injuries, the years of losing or the fact that a small team has been pushed around in recent seasons, the Canadiens' players and management have clearly had enough.

That was never more evident than in the Bell Centre's preseason game against Ottawa on Tuesday night. Emotions escalated in the first period after Ridly Greig hit the head of Canadiens center Kirby Dach, who went to the locker room for observation before returning at the start of the second period.

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“I didn’t really see him coming. I didn’t have the puck and it kind of caught me off guard,” Dach said Wednesday after an early morning practice at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard. “He hits me square in the jaw. I don’t think it was a hockey game.”

Apparently it wasn't over yet.

Dach received an interference penalty against Greig in the offensive zone in the third period. Seconds after he came out of the penalty box, the 1.80 meter tall, 100 kilogram Dach took revenge and punched Greig – ten centimeters shorter and 14 kilograms lighter – landing numerous right hands in the one-sided fight.

“The second time he came and hit me, he had both hands up,” Dach explained. “He punched me in the face and I kind of freaked out. I had enough.”

Both defenseman Jayden Struble and forward Michael Pezzetta also took shots at Greig in the first period, but the Senators player clearly wasn't interested in a fight. In the next period, defender Arber's nose was hit by his own stick.

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Xhekaj was not made available to the media on Wednesday. However, he will not face additional disciplinary action from the NHL. He had already been fined $3,385.42 – the maximum allowed under the CBA – for his unsportsmanlike conduct against Toronto's Cédric Paré last Saturday.

Xhekaj returned the favor after Paré's knee-on-knee blow to Patrik Laine, who will be out between two and three months with a sprained left knee that does not require surgery. The Canadiens also lost junior defensive lineman David Reinbacher in the same game to a knee injury that required surgery. He could be out for up to six months.

It remains to be seen whether the Canadiens will improve their win total this season and compete for a playoff spot. But the mentality of this team seems to have changed. There is a code of honor in hockey and it appears that Montreal players will settle disputes on the ice immediately.

“When you have a culture like that where everyone wants to stand up for each other, you have a good space,” Pezzetta said, noting that in the future it will be important to send a message without crossing the line.

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While captain Nick Suzuki wasn't dressed against the Senators, he was concerned when Dach left the ice, knowing his teammate was only able to play two games last season before suffering a serious knee injury that required surgery.

“Obviously the guys tried to stand up for Dach,” Suzuki said. “It was scary to see him leave the ice again; it brought back some memories. The boys reacted well.

“The emotions of the game will always be there. The boys want to stand up for each other. We are like a family here. Sometimes you do things that you immediately regret.”

Head coach Martin St. Louis wants to see that crowd mentality on the ice and in the locker room, but admitted the players need to respond in a more calculated way.

“I see evidence of our connection everywhere,” he said. “This shows in training, on the plane, in the hotel, in the room and at games. It is everywhere and shows itself in different forms. To me, you might have the greatest talent and the best strategy. But if you don’t have that, it’s hard to become a championship team.”

Both Brendan Gallagher and Christian Dvorak (therapy day) did not train on Wednesday. Josh Anderson, who did not practice Monday and was not dressed against Ottawa, was on the ice. Defenseman Kaiden Guhle, who recently had his appendix removed, was a full-contact participant at practice.

The team traveled to Mont-Tremblant after training and will play its final friendly game in Ottawa on Saturday evening. Given Tuesday's events, St. Louis might be hesitant to put a veteran-heavy roster on hold against the Senators. Montreal begins its regular season next Wednesday at home against Toronto.

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