Game 1 was a mess.
We can all admit that pretty easily.
Both teams were sloppy, and yes Montreal looked like it was doing its best to to secure spots as extras on a possible “Goon 2: the French Connection”. But, Ottawa wasn’t able to take advantage of the opportunities Montreal afforded them: Max Pacioretty out entirely, and P.K. Subban for most of the game.
Now, in the aftermath of “the Slash” the Senators must regroup, and make sure they don’t head back to Ottawa down 2-0.
43-26-13
Ottawa Senators
VS.
Montreal Canadiens
50-22-10
7:00 PM EST
Bell Centre, Montreal Quebec
CBC, TVA
MATCHUP HISTORY
In the regular season the Senators were able to take 3 out of 4 meetings between the two clubs.
The Habs were able to take game one by a score of 4-3.
The first series between these two teams was filled with bad blood, and this series looks to be more of the same. Game one only and the heat has already been ratcheted up about 100 degrees, and the kitchen doesn’t look like it’ll cool down anytime soon.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
P.K. Subban – Pretty obvious one here, but it’ll be interesting to see how he responds after being ejected from game one. Even more interesting to see is how he is targeted after what he did to Mark Stone.
Whoever gets subbed in for Stone – It’s come to light that Stone suffered a micro-fracture in the wrist that Subban tried to sever, so it’s very doubtful that he plays in game two, and possibly even in the rest of the series.
It’ll be interesting to see who draws in for him. Personally I think one of the best options would be to bring up a Bingo Sen, like a Shane Prince or Buddy Robinson, but in all likeliness it’ll be Chris Neil who draws in as he seems to be healthy.
THREE KEYS TO THE GAME
1. No Time For Games: Both teams got caught up in the extra-curriculars of hockey in game one. If Ottawa’s going to succeed they need to stick to just playing hockey and keep the Canadiens out of their heads.
2. Return of the Hamburglar: Hammond shouldn’t be blamed for all 4 goals he allowed last game, but we’ve become spoiled by his 20 wins. He wasn’t at all awful, but it would certainly help the team, if only mentally, if he could make that extra save that we know he can.
3. Bobby Ryan Gets it Going: At this point you almost have to assume he’s injured. Bobby Ryan looked nearly invisible in game one, and has been a bit of a wallflower during the latter half of Ottawa’s amazing run to make the playoffs. If the Sens are going to make noise in this series (on the ice, rather than off it) then they’ll need Ryan to produce, and there’s no better time to start that than in game 2.