Ottawa Senators See Thrilling Season End In 2-0 Shutout Loss

The Ottawa Senators showed up and so did Carey Price, making it very tough for the Senators. 2-0 the final, where Ottawa was shutout for the first time all season.

GAME RECAP

The first may have not played well for Ottawa, their first shot came 9 minutes in. It was a similar narrative to game 5, where the Sens were outshot 8-1 to begin the game this time around.

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The Habs found themselves on the board as Brendan Gallagher, noted pest, banged in a puck mid-air giving the Habs a 1-0 lead. As fans, many Senators supporters found themselves looking back towards a high stick earlier in the play, officiating didn’t go Ottawa’s way this time around, perhaps a continuos theme throughout the game.

Ottawa’s late 1st period pressure created something to look forward to heading into the 2nd. 1-0 after 20.

The second was all Ottawa as the Sens out-chanced Montreal 22 to 13. A few nice plays from the Turris line, followed by added pressure from Pageau’s unit had it looking up at one point. One particular play didn’t sit well with Senators fans as a quick whistle by referee, Chris Lee led to a Pageau goal being waived off.

Pageau has searched all series long for his goal against his favourite NHL team to play and didn’t get the bounce he needed on this one. A close play for sure, but the Senators still find themselves with over a half a game to play.

The rest of the game went at a similar pace, with Ottawa controlling play most of the way through. A late 2nd period penalty to Andrei Markov gave the Sens some hope, however it was Ottawa’s quiet power play which kept them with zero goals.

In the third we saw a similar story. Ottawa continued their offensive possession with the total mark being set at 43 shots on goal. Carey Price was certainly a busy man, and clearly the MVP of this series, as he faced 70 shot attempts tonight. The late pressure was fantastic, however without traffic in front of the ice and Price continuing his play, the score stayed at 0 for Ottawa.

The final yielded the first time they were shutout this season came in their last game of the year. A 2-0 final came on a dump out of the zone by Max Pacioretty which took a unlikely bounce directly into the Sens’ net, ending their season. And what a season it was.

NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS:

• What a season for this team.
• The Ottawa Senators have a ton to look forward to in the next few seasons. Mark Stone highlighting that group.
• Jean Gabriel Pageau has certainly landed, he’s earned is spot as he finished the season well, with tonight being one of his best games yet.
• No goals for Pageau this series. Would have been nice to see him net one against the team he has a history with.
• Well, he did score, didn’t he? Is the quick whistle something the NHL looks at to revise? It should be.

• Dave Cameron said it well in the post-game “we’ve got a lot to look forward to”
• This was a close series, and considering the first 3 games, it’s hard to think Ottawa didn’t take one of them.
• Montreal has a tough opponent coming up in the second round. Detroit or Tampa Bay, if I’m picking my poison, I go for Detroit, the older squad with an inconsistent defensive group.
• 8:36 TOI for Alex Chiasson, has he played his last game as an Ottawa Senator? especially with his impending RFA status
• Other (likely) guys who may have played their last: Eric Gryba, Jared Cowen, Colin Greening, David Legwand.
• How about Robin Lehner, Mike Hoffman or Erik Condra?
• Condra, being the only full-time roster player with a pending UFA status. Smart decision would be to re-sign him.

There’s the last recap of the season. Bring on the off-season!