#7 Seed, Eastern Conference 

4-1 Playoff record

vs

#1 Seed, Eastern Conference

4-2 Playoff record

7:30 PM

TV:  CBC, RDS   Radio: TEAM1200

HEAD TO HEAD:

The Penguins had the upper hand on the Senators, winning all three games between the clubs. The Penguins won the first one in a shootout, with all 3 shooters scoring on Craig Anderson for the 2-1 Pens win.  The second matchup was the infamous Feb 13th game that saw Erik Karlsson‘s season supposedly ended by Matt Cooke‘s skate, with the result on the scoreboard favoring the Pens 4-2. In the third game, an undermanned Penguins team without a trio of their stars came to Ottawa and still managed to skate away with a 3-1 win, a loss that had some Ottawa fans gripping their postseason dreams a little tighter.

Apr 22, 2013; Ottawa, ON, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Chris Kunitz (14) and centre Tyler Kennedy (48) check for the rebound following a shot on Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson (41) in the second period at Scotiabank Place. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

LAST GAMES:

Obviously heading into the first game of the second round, both teams won their last games.  Ottawa won their third straight game with a nifty 6-1 win over Montreal, while the Penguins were glad to be rid of the never-say-die Islanders with a 4-3 overtime win on Saturday night.

KEY PLAYERS:

Kyle Turris, OTT: This matchup will be vastly different than the one he faced against Montreal.  Whatever centre he lines up against as long as he is Ottawa’s top pivot in this series, will be a tougher matchup than he faced against the Habs.  With all due respect to David Desharnais, Tomas Plekanec and Alex Galchenyuk, they are no Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin or Brandon Sutter.  How Turris can step his game up to lock horns with his counterpart will go a long way to determining how the Senators do, and also how urgently the Senators need Jason Spezza back (no pun intended).

Tomas Vokoun, PIT: Still unconfirmed as the Penguins starting goalie, but given the struggles of Marc-Andre Fleury, it would shock me to see anyone but Vokoun listed as the goalie come game time.  Vokoun doesn’t need to be great, but just needs to provide solid goaltending that they didn’t get from Fleury in the first 4 games of round 1, and that nearly cost them.

TOP 3 STORIES OF THE GAME:

1.  The Karlsson Factor:  Intentional or not, it was the Penguins who knocked Karlsson out of action and probably cost him the chance to defend his Norris Trophy.  While he isn’t likely to exact physical revenge, Karlsson does his best talking with the puck, and his resolve might be to put it where the red light shines.

2. The Cooke Factor:  I know the Senators and their fans might want some revenge, but this is neither the time nor the place.  There should be no Matt Cooke in this series as far as the Senators are concerned, but just a Player #24.

3.  Goaltending Questions:  In the opening round, the Senators were able to jump on a struggling Carey Price and make his life miserable and create questions.  There are already questions in Pittsburgh, and getting on Vokoun early might create a big decision for Dan Bylsma as he looks down the bench at Fleury, and sees swiss cheese.  And if by some act of god Fleury gets the start, then get on him early and  chase him again.

PARTING SHOT

The Senators will be massive underdogs, but they can take a page out of the Islanders’ playbook and just keep hanging around and waiting for Pittsburgh mistakes. They may be talented, but they can also turn the puck over, and how Ottawa’s transition game plays out will determine if they win or lose this game, and the series.

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EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINAL

OTTAWA LEADS BEST OF 7 SERIES 2-1

7:00 PM, SCOTIABANK PLACE

TV: CBC, RDS  RADIO: TEAM1200

LAST GAME

In one of the most talked about games of the playoffs, Ottawa dominated both physically and on the scoreboard despite a number of cheap shots from Montreal players that triggered a bunch of altercations and one whole line brawl.  Ottawa took the game 6-1 and took a 2-1 series lead.

May 2, 2013; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson (41) makes a save on Montreal Canadiens right wing Rene Bourque (17) during the second 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 – Gallagher scored in each of the first two games and despite his small stature, he plays a big-time playoff type game.  He has spent almost as much time in the Ottawa crease are as Anderson.  Ottawa needs to be physical with the smaller Canadiens forwards, and it begins with being hard, but legal, on Gallagher.

Erik Karlsson, OTT – Karlsson didn’t really look right after a weird-looking collision that had him off balance and leaning heavily on his recently repaired leg in the first period of Friday night’s game 2.  He still played just under 30 minutes in each game sinee, but he looked tentative at times in the last 2 games and hasn’t really led the offensive rush as much as we are used to seeing.

TOP 3 STORYLINES FOR THE GAME

1  Return of the Grybes – Montreal will get their first chance to see Eric Gryba on the ice since his hit that took Lars Eller and himself out of game 1.  Will he be a factor, and will Montreal chase him around in order to exact revenge?

2. Montreal Bounceback - Montreal must have figured out by now that they don’t have the horses to push the Senators around physically, so expect them to focus on playing a speed game.  Ottawa will have to match that speed and play a full team game to win.

3.  Price Is Wrong – Price didn’t have a stellar game in Sunday’s loss.  Still he is a goalie that can win a game on his own and Ottawa needs to pepper him with quality shots so as not to let him get in a groove.

PARTING SHOT

Players are going to be eating a lot of apples and carrots, tying their teeth to strings  and doorknobs and slamming the door to loosen a tooth in hopes of getting one knocked out tonight.  Three games, three players losing teeth and 3 first stars.  It is a trend that probably won’t continue, but players are a superstitious bunch.  The dentist’s should be close at hand.

Enjoy the Game!

Enjoy the game!