The difference was mostly mental. It's preseason and Montreal already beat some good teams. Not surprising they let down against the not-so-good Sens. Habs still out-chanced Ottawa with the puck, but played undisciplined without it. We're also still juggling rookies and forward-lines, which led to gaping holes in our back-checking that allowed 2-on-1 breaks for the Sens. Plus the poor discipline showed in our own zone as we were unable to clear the puck for long stretches. It's like nobody remembered how to skate or pass the damn puck.
Habs also took weak, ill-timed penalties. Sens scored (I think) two goals on the PP.
As to the issue of softness, there was one fight between Prust and their plug tonight (can't spell his name). Didn't affect anything. Last night was all about their goon picking a fight with Pacioretty, while the plug fought Subban. No team wants their stars to fight. Again, it made no difference. People made it the talking point because the game was otherwise meaningless.
