Craig Anderson Has Given Senators New Life Heading Into Game 6
The Ottawa Senators currently trail the Montreal Canadiens three games to two. Game six sees the Senators hosting the Montreal Canadiens. The Senators are hoping to pick up a big win in front of a sold out crowd at the Canadian Tire Centre.
43-26-13
Ottawa Senators
VS.
Montreal Canadiens
50-22-10
6:00 PM EST
Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa,Ontario
CBC, TVA
MATCHUP HISTORY
Montreal leads the series 3-2. Ottawa has won the past two games. Every game in the series had only been decided by one goal, until the Senators huge victory in Game 5. I believe the Senators are currently in possession of the fickle phenomenon known as momentum. The Senators lost the first three games of the series by one goal and have now won two straight. Craig Anderson and Andrew Hammond have actually played better than perennial All-Star Carey Price.
There is no question that Anderson will start Game 6 however it is nice to see that both Senators goalies have outperformed the Habs netminder.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Craig Anderson has been absolutely stellar in this series. He let in what some would call a soft goal in game three, but he has been near perfect the rest of the series. Anderson has a shutout, a .976 save percentage, and a .95 Goals Against Average. He leads all playoff goalies who have played at least sixty minutes of ice time in both GAA and save percentage. Will Anderson outplay Price in game six?
Dale Weise leads the Canadiens in scoring. Yes… Dale Weise. Many of the Montreal players have not looked impressive this series but Weise has. The Canadiens role players have in some ways been their most threatening. Will any of the Canadiens depth players make an impact in game 6? Thomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty have made little impact. Will the secondary players on the Canadiens steal the show?
THREE KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Scoring Goals – Winning a hockey game is very complex but also very simple. You must score more goals than the other team. Ottawa has been able to do so for the last two games.
Will they outscore the Canadiens again? A big improvement from Coach Dave Cameron was moving Mike Hoffman back up to a scoring line. It was absolutely absurd that he had been stuck on a checking line with Chris Neil. Shuffling the Senators line combinations lead to more scoring, improved utilization of players will hopefully lead to the Senators lighting the lamp.
2. Officiating – I find NHL officiating to be quite poor at times. The poor officiating is amplified in the playoffs. A hard slash is sometimes not called as a penalty, then suddenly called minutes later, taking the wind out of a team’s sails. Ottawa has been penalized heavier then Montreal in three out of the five series games. Specifically, Bobby Ryan received a bizarre faceoff violation penalty in game 4. What weird and obscure calls will be made in game 6? Will the game be tainted once again by poor officiating? The referees have been very inconsistent.
3. Staying Alive – No Senators fans want to see the teams season end. There have been countless ups and downs, coaching changes, stellar rookies, tons of excitement and crazy moments. The Senators fans would love to see them play another round of playoff hockey, it would be even sweeter since they would earn the right after vanquishing their rival Canadiens.
Of course, the Senators went on a miraculous late season winning streak, and now they need to reel off two more wins against this Montreal team. Momentum is currently with the Senators. Anything is possible with strong goaltending from Anderson, impeccable defense from Marc Methot and Erik Karlsson, shot blocking from Jean-Gabriel Pageau and strong play from centre Kyle Turris. The Senators must win two straight to make the next round of the playoffs. Anything is possible if the Senators continue to play at a high level.
Next: 5 Reasons The Ottawa Senators Can Complete The Comeback