Reg Season: 25-17-6, 7th Seed Eastern Conference

VS.

Reg Season:  29-14-5, 2nd Seed Eastern Conference

7:00 PM, Bell Centre

TV: CBC, RDS   Radio: TEAM1200

THE MATCHUP

The Senators and Canadiens played each other 4 times this season, and each team walked away with 5 points and a 2-1-1 record.  Ottawa outscored Montreal 10-7 (not including shootout goals) and dominated the special teams with an 80% penalty kill and an astounding 41.7% power play success rate.

Dec 27, 2011; Ottawa, ON, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban (76) and Ottawa Senators left wing Milan Michalek (9) fight for the puck in the third period at Scotiabank Place. The Canadiens defeated the Senators 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

THE PLAYERS

There are definitely some key matchups to take a look at when these two teams lock horns.  In net, on the blue line and up front there will be intrigue. Today we will focus on the battle between the pipes:

Craig Anderson – Coming off a season that could have gone down as one of the greatest ever, and possibly capped off with a Vezina Trophy had it not been for the ankle injury that sidelined him for nearly half of the shortened season.  Anderson faced Montreal twice this season, going 1-1 with a 1.51 GAA and .953 Sp, which was pretty much on par with his season numbers pre-injury.   Anderson has been good since coming back, but just a notch below what he was before.

Carey Price – There was also Vezina talk about Price prior to the final 10 games of the season that saw him pulled twice and losing 6 of his last 8 games.  Price faced the Senators 3 times this season, winning two and losing 1 in a shootout.  His numbers almost mirror Anderson’s when these teams face each other, as Price sports a 1.58 GAA and .944 SP against Ottawa.

TOP 3 STORYLINES FOR THE GAME

1.  Offense – Can Ottawa score enough to win? Since the return of Karlsson, the team has scored 7 goals in just over 3 games, and Karlsson assisted on 4 of them.  The team needs to become more than 1 dimensional, no matter how good that 1 dimension might be.  The first line of veterans Milan Michalek and Daniel Alfredsson along with Kyle Turris have to lead the way for the youngsters to follow.

2. Defense – The Karlsson-Subban matchup is intriguing.  The key to stopping Subban is to keep the Habs off the power play.  When I figure out the key to stopping Karlsson, I’ll let you know.  The only person who has really been able to do that (intentionally or not) is Matt Cooke.  The rest of the Senators’ blue line corps is a nice balance between offense (Sergei Gonchar), defense (Marc Methot) and a little bit of both (Jared Cowen).  It looks like Eric Gryba will get the nod over Patrick Wiercioch to start the series on the third pairing with Chris Phillips.

3. Special Teams – Ottawa’s power play was stellar against Montreal, as noted above, and they bring the league’s best penalty killing unit to Montreal.  Montreal uses its power play very effectively for the most part and that is where Subban and Markov are most dangerous.

PARTING SHOT

The first period, although maybe cautious, will set the  tone.  If the Senators can jump out to a lead early on and get the fans down on Price right away it could create a hostile home atmosphere in the Bell Centre.  That would generate a lot of pressure from the media in advance of Game 2, which goes down right away on Friday.  A win for Ottawa in Game 1 could make it a very short series.  But these teams are so even that it will probably go 6 games, if not 7.

ENJOY THE GAME, AND GO SENS GO!

February 2, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Edmonton Oilers right wing Nail Yakupov (64) shoots the puck as Colorado Avalanche defensemen Matt Hunwick (22) defends during the third period at the Pepsi Center. The Avalanche won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

1. Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz each had a goal and two assists in the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1 win over the New Jersey Devils. The Penguins earned their first home ice victory and seem to be rounding into form with all lines clicking. They also played well defensively, holding the Devils to 16 shots, meaning Marc-Andre Fleury had a relatively easy win.
2. Ryan Miller gave up 4 goals on 21 shots in 40 minutes of action, but he got almost no support from his Buffalo Sabres teammates as the Montreal Canadiens rolled to an easy 6-1 win.  David Desharnais and Rene Bourque each scored twice, and P.K. Subban had an assist in his season debut for the Canadiens.  Thomas Vanek, surprise surprise, had the Buffalo goal, a nice shorthanded effort.  Buffalo was outshot 32-31 in the game, but it was a 15-1 first period advantage that set the tone for the game and the lopsided score.
3. Nail Yakupov scored in the first minute to give the Edmonton Oilers a 1-0 lead, but that is all the offense they could muster as the Colorado Avalanche scored 3 unanswered for the 3-1 win.  Jamie McGinn had a goal and an assist for the winners, and Matt Duchene had a pair of assists. Sam Gagner had an assist on Yakupov’s goal, extending his point streak to 8 games.
4. Chris Bourque, son of Boston  Bruins Hall of Famer Raymond Bourque, scored his first goal as a Bruin and it was all the offence Boston would get.  Fortunately, it was enough as Tuukka Rask made 21 stops for the shutout of the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Phil Kessel obviously remained scoreless, although he continues to get quality chances and is the most snakebit player in the league.  James Reimer was also stellar, making 33 saves in the losing effort.
5. Coming off his 1-0 shutout of the Senators, Carolina Hurricane’s goalie Dan Ellis got his second straight start.  It didn’t go as well as the last one, as the Philadelphia Flyers lit him up for 4 goals on 12 shots in just over a period of action as the Flyers rolled to a 5-3 win.  Claude Giroux and Danny Briere each had a goal and an assist while Matt Read and Kimmo Timonen each had 2 assists in the win.  Ilya Bryzgalov was busier than the Ellis and Cam Ward combined, making 39 saves for the win.
6. Martin Biron and the New York Rangers held the explosive Tampa Bay Lightning offense relatively in check, allowing only a pair of Steven Stamkos goals as the Rangers downed the Lightning 3-2.  Carl Hagelin had a goal and an assist, including the winner, for the Rangers while Rick Nash and Derek Stepan also found the back of the net.
7. Steve Mason made 32 saves and Artem Anisimov had a pair as the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-2.  Anisimov’s goals both came at even strenght, while the Blue Jackets also got a power play goal from James Wisniewski and a short-handed marker from Mark Letestu in the win.
8. Phoenix Coyotes goalie Mike Smith made 17 saves for his first shutout of the season as he blanked the Dallas Stars 2-0.  Nick Johnson and Mikkel Boedker provided all the offense Smith would need.  Richard Backman made 32 saves in the losing cause.
9. Ray Emery stole the show, and two points, making 45 saves and then 3 more  in the shootout to give the Chicago Blackhawks a 3-2 win over the Calgary Flames.  It was a game that the Hawks didn’t deserve to be in, and Emery had one of the best games of his career, robbing Flames shooters time and again.  Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist as well as the shootout winner for Chicago. Defensemen Jay Bouwmeester and Dennis Wideman were the Flames who managed to beat Emery.
10. The LA Kings hit a new low, dropping a 7-4 decision to the rival Anaheim Ducks.  Nick Bonino scored 2 of his 3 goals on the night against Jonathan Quick in the first 6 minutes, ending the Conn Smythe trophy winner’s night early.  Quick allowed 2 goals on 3 shots and was replaced by Jonathan Bernier.  Bernier allowed 4 goals on 21 shots, as Bonino capped a career night with 3 goals and an assist.
11. The last remaining undefeated team has fallen, as the Nashville Predators beat the San Jose Sharks 2-1 in a shootout.  San Jose had been playing with fire, going to the shootout in each of their previous two games, but won both times.  Craig Smith was the giant slayer, and Pekka Rinne made 26 saves and 3 more in the shootout for the win.

There is only 4 games on tap, and all are afternoon tilts as the NHL remains dark at night because with the Super Bowl on, nobody would be watching hockey.  In addition to Ottawa visiting Montreal, another rivalry game takes place in Washington, where the Penguins and Sidney Crosby visit a shell of Alex Ovechkin‘s former self and the Capitals.