Ottawa Senators defenceman Anton Volchenkov confirmed he will play Saturday versus the Montreal Canadiens after practising with the team Friday morning at Scotiabank Place.

The defenceman left Thursday's 4-1 loss against Washington in the first period with a bruised right thigh after blocking a shot from Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin.

Volchenkov is currently leading the NHL with 67 blocked shots and led the league in that category last season as well.

However, there is no progress to report on Jason Spezza's injured groin. The centre was not on the ice with teammates on Friday, meaning he will miss his sixth straight game when Ottawa hosts Montreal on Saturday afternoon.