150 PIMs, Brutal Slash Fuel NHL's Next Big Rivalry: Canadiens Vs. Senators

Everyone loves an NHL rivalry, and I think we're seeing the birth of a big one between the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators.

What makes me think that? How about 150 penalty minutes in a preseason game?

It may not surprise you, but the Xhekaj brothers, Arber and Florian, had a lot to do with this.

Florian fought in the opening frame, while in the second, the brothers got in on a doozy of a brawl to cap off their 31 combined PIMs.

So a big chunk of that lofty PIM total came from that total, but there's another reason why I think you may want to check out the preseason finale between these two clubs on Saturday, and it had to do with a nasty slash.

Senators forward Nick Cousins has a bit of a reputation for toeing the line of good taste at times, and on Tuesday, he put the Canadiens' highly-prized rookie Ivan Demidov in his crosshairs.

Cousins missed a check on Demidov and followed him off ice before giving him a brutal two-hander to the hands.

Cousins was called for slashing and given a misconduct — which added to the massive penalty minute total — while Demidov left the game and didn't return.

I think the Habs will remember this when the two wrap up their preseason slate this weekend, but expect the intensity between these two clubs to stay throughout the regular season.

They're not too far apart geographically, and both play in the Atlantic Division, where they are arguably the two most up-and-coming teams. They both made the playoffs last season, and I don't see any reason to expect that this won't be the case again this year.

After Saturday's preseason clash, the two teams will play their first regular-season games against each other on November 1.