Canadiens' Martin St. Louis Unhappy With Senators Pest

"There's no need for that," Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis said to TSN in a post-game scrum. "It's an exhibition game; both teams are trying to get ready for a long season."

Certainly, regardless of the importance of the game, Cousins acted out of frustration, and though his job is to try to get the opposition's best players off their game through rough, borderline over-the-edge play, his questionable decisions don't endear him to many opponents.

The Xhekaj brothers combined for 31 penalty minutes of their own, each shedding their gloves twice in the game, which is a testament to how heated the Atlantic Division rivalry could shape up to become over the next couple of seasons. Arber and Florian (Xhekaj) each fought with Jan Jenik on separate occasions, and then Arber fought Zack McEwen in the third period, while Florian locked horns with rookie Carter Yakemchuk.

Demidov left the game after the slash and didn't return, and while Canadiens fans intently await the news, the stakes for the next game, when the Senators and Canadiens take to battle on the weekend at the Bell Centre, could see Cousins left answering for his decision.

While some feel that fighting is something that should be taken out of the NHL, it certainly still serves a purpose, if not to mitigate these dirty plays, then to ensure that the player who gives a cheap shot is held accountable for their actions. It's not a new thing that star players get targeted; however, if the roles were reversed, the Senators would be left feeling awfully frustrated with the player's lack of respect.

If a message was meant to be sent from such a play, it's that it doesn't matter about the consequences, just that frustration and anger trump all else. Cousins is an effective player when he plays his game, but the nonsense of playing so far over the edge is something that could have him in hot water with the league, as officials will be on patrol after the Canadiens' head coach spoke out about the incident.