Ottawa Senators Host Montreal Canadiens In Must Win Game Three
The Ottawa Senators currently trail the Montreal Canadiens two games to zero. This is a must win game for the Senators. If Ottawa falls behind three games to zero they are all but finished against a strong Montreal team.
43-26-13
Ottawa Senators
VS.
Montreal Canadiens
50-22-10
7:00 PM EST
Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa,Ontario
CBC, TVA
MATCHUP HISTORY
The Senators are behind in the series 2-0. This is a must win game, every game in a playoff series is. Going down 3-0 against this Canadiens club is a death sentence to the Senators playoff run. The Senators must win their two home games. Both games the Senators lost have been by one goal, with one of those losses coming in overtime. Some fans have chosen to blame Andrew Hammond for the Senators losses. I do not think blaming Hammond is fair. Hammond saved thirty-nine of the forty-two shots he faced last game. It has been confirmed that the Senators are tuning away from Hammond this game, putting Craig Anderson in nets.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Mark Stone is a player to watch. He has been a dynamic scorer all season. How bad is the micro fracture he suffered in game one, how much damage did P.K. Subbban do to him? It would be nice if Stone could be a scoring force in game three. I would be ecstatic if Stone or Mike Hoffman picked up goals this game.
Will Carey Price keep the Canadiens in the game? The Senators have been dominant at times in this series. No matter how much the Senators throw at Price he seems to be able to keep pucks out of the net. Will Price have another big game?
THREE KEYS TO THE GAME
- Winning At Home-Will the Senators outscore the Canadiens? Both games have been extremely close. The Senators have lost two close games. Will the Senators finally put more up on the board than they have allowed? I have found the officiating in this series to be very shoddy, hopefully playing at home will tilt the way the game is called in their favour. Chirs Neil replaces Alex Chiasson in the line up while Anderson is starting in goal over Hammond. What will these changes do for the Senators?
- Elite Defenceman– Who will have a bigger presence in this game? Will it be Subban or Erik Karlsson? Both d-men can be their teams saviour or goat any night. Karlsson either gets praised for his offensive prowess or criticized heavily for his alleged lack of defense. These two will have the spot light on them all night.
- Corsi… I mean Shot Attempts-The Senators kept pace with the Canadiens during even strength play. Last game Ottawa had forty three shot attempts while Montreal had 46. I truly believe the amount of power plays given to the Canadiens last game was a large factor in them winning. When you examine shot attempts across all strengths the Senators were outshot fifty seven to eighty! It is amazing the Senators were able to keep the game so close with the shots being so lopsided. The Canadiens offence looks anemic at even strength, but they somehow find ways to score. Last game saw Montreal play a horrible first period. Ottawa needs to increase the amount of pucks they throw at Carey Price, they also need to come out on top in the amount of power plays received.