Round 1 Game 5 Preview: Ottawa Senators @ Montreal Canadiens

The Ottawa Senators will now have the chance to eliminated the Montreal Canadiens at The Bell Centre tonight. The Sens were lucky to walk away with the win at home as they fought back in game 4 down 2 goals to come out on top 3-2. There is some speculation that the Habs may need to sit some more players on top of already missing Brian Gionta.

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EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINAL

OTTAWA LEADS BEST OF 7 SERIES 3-1

7:00 PM, Bell Centre

TV: CBC, RDS  RADIO: TEAM 1200

LAST GAME

A couple nights ago we seen a Sens team that showed up at the game quite slow out of the gate and Montreal took full advantage of it with a 2-0 lead after 2 periods. But the stats don’t lie as the Senators have a significant lead in goals in the 3rd period against the Habs and the trend continued as the Sens fought back to tie the game and force overtime. Just before overtime began Carey Price seemed to injure himself on a play. It seems like it might be a hip/groin issue. The hero of game 4 against the New York Rangers was Kyle Turris, he once again found himself has the hero in this game four. Turris shot the puck at Petr Budaj hoping to score on a cold goalie and it seemed to work as the Sens walked away the winner.

May 2, 2013; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) makes a save against Ottawa Senators captain

(11) during the first period in game one of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brendan Gallagher, MTL – Kind of hard not to go with him again, as he has clearly been the best player for the Habs. He leads all players in the playoffs in Corsi and has been a thorn in the Senators side.

Craig Anderson, OTT – He basically decides if the Sens will win, as he has been a huge factor in the Sens wins. He has been the best goaltender in this series and if the trend continues the Sens should be able to close out this series with the win.

TOP 3 STORYLINES FOR THE GAME

1. One more win – This will be the hardest win of the series as the last one usually is. The Sens will try and close out this series in Montreal tonight or at home in front of their own fans on Saturday.
2. Price – Will be start or not? He is a huge factor in this series and the Sens would have a significant advantage if he didn’t start.
3. Penalties – They have been a topic of discussion in this series and will probably continue to be if the same refs keep officiating this series. They will play a big role in this game as both teams have different reasons to take advantage of the power plays.

PARTING SHOT

This should be a fun game to watch as the Sens will look to finish this series and the Habs will look to keep it going. It will be a hard fought game as all playoff games are and might be a rough game as the Sens will try and take advantage of the Habs size once again to win this game and the Habs will have to try and fight it off and not in the same manner as they did in game 3. Look for updates on the starting goaltender for the Habs and line-ups later today and you can also follow me on twitter as I will tweet this information.

Enjoy the game and Go Sens Go!!