Canadiens Eric Neilson (R) fights with the Senators Jeremy Yablonski during the second period on Friday night.

After a fight filled affair last night at the Bell Center, the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens will clash again Saturday night at Scotiabank Place.

The O-3 Senators are still in search of their first exhibition win. Although he would prefer things to be different, head coach Cory Clouston isn't overly concerned with his teams record.

However he did emphasize Saturday the time had come for players to elevate their play and start building an identity for the team.

"It's still early but we were talking about that this morning," said Clouston. "We want to be sound defensively. The kind of team you have to work for everything you get and be more physical. I felt we succeeded in a couple of areas (last night). There are other areas we need to get better at," added Clouston.

One of the problem areas early in camp has been offense. The Senators have registered only three goals so far. None have come at even strength. Former Montreal Canadien' Alex Kovalev was brought in to help spread out the offense this season.

"He was arguably our best player the other night (last Wednesday). He was definitely the most creative, he was effective on the powerplay. We're looking forward to solidifying linemates for him," Clouston added.

For the second consecutive game, "the Artist" as he was called in Montreal will play on a line with Jonathan Cheechoo.

"We struggled a bit at the beginning but it seems to me we're starting to find each other and kind of figuring out each others job. It's getting better. There's a lot of new guys, I'm new to them, they're new to me. It takes a couple of games to know each other," explained Kovalev.

The skilled forward will face his former team for the first time tonight. Kovalev admitted earlier this summer that leaving Montreal "breaks my heart". But that's in the past now. Kovalev is poised to leave his mark with the Senators once the real games begin.

"To play against a team you used to play for is definitely exciting but for me, I need to prepare for the regular season. I only played one (exhibition) game to get the summer rust off. This is another chance to make sure I'm ready for season, that's how I approach this game," said Kovalev.

Note:

G Pascal Leclair will get the start in goal for Ottawa. It will be his first start at Scotiabank Place.

Here are the lines for tonight:

Cheechoo-Shannon-Kovalev

Brodeur