Games
Ottawa Senators 3 - Montreal Canadiens 4
Ottawa was first on the board thanks to a lucky bounce. The puck ricochet off the boards behind the net, hit Andrei Markov's skate, and slid past Carey Price. It stayed 1-0 Senators until the second. A long shot by Brian Flynn was blocked, but bounced to Torrey Mitchell, who took it behind the net and scored on a wraparound. Seconds later, Tomas Plekanec put the Habs in the lead, keeping the puck on a 2-on-1 and beating Andrew Hammond. Fortunes looked to have turned seconds after that goal. P.K. Subban was given a five and a game for slashing Mark Stone on the wrist. Kyle Turris, after serving a roughing penalty of his own, scored on the powerplay to tie the game. Just over a minute later, Lars Eller would go in alone and beat Hammond, scoring shorthanded and putting the Canadiens back in the lead. The Senators scored once more on the man advantage, as Mika Zibanejad capitalized on a rebound. The game remained 3-3 for about five more minutes. Deep in the Senator zone, Flynn would take the puck from behind the net, skate out in front, and beat Hammond going cross-crease, giving the Canadiens the lead once again. The third period was scoreless, but it had an eventful ending. Plekanec, Tom Gilbert, Turris, and Clark MacArthur were all assess roughing penalties at the end of the game, with all but Plekanec also receiving misconduct penalties. Montreal won Game 1 to jump out to an early series lead.
Ottawa Senators 2 - Montreal Canadiens 3 (OT)
Just like the first game, Ottawa would get the first goal. Late in the first period, MacArthur skated to the high slot and beat Price glove side. It changed in the second, as a MacArthur penalty helped the Canadiens tie the game. Max Pacioretty beat a standing Hammond to put Montreal on the board. The Canadiens kept the pressure up in the period. Later in the period, Devente Smith-Pelly tried to a rink-wide pass that was received by nobody. The puck bounced off the boards and right into the path of Subban, who blasted the loose puck past Hammond to extend Montreal's lead. The one penalty the Canadiens took during the third period (Alexei Emelin was called for interference) ended up being costly. Patrick Wiercioch received a pass from Stone and beat Price from in close, as the powerplay marker tied the game. Overtime was needed, but not much. Just over three minutes into the extra frame, it was over. Eric Gryba fanned on a clearing pass, leading to a couple of shots for the Canadiens. Brendan Gallagher's shot was stopped, but Alex Galchenyuk was able to collect the rebound and beat Hammond on a spinning shot. The overtime win extends Montreal's series lead to 2-0.
Montreal Canadiens 2 - Ottawa Senators 1 (OT)
With the series heading to Ottawa, a change was in order. Craig Anderson replaced Hammond start for the Senators. It started the same as the rest of the games though, as the Senators would be the ones opening the scoring. Just over eleven minutes into the game, MacArthur would beat Price from in close to put Ottawa in the lead. The Canadiens put the pressure on in the second, but could not solve Anderson. Also in the second, Erik Karlsson nailed Nathan Beaulieu with an open ice hit (it was a bit of payback to, as Beaulieu stood up an attempted hit by Karlsson in the first). The hit caused Beaulieu to leave the game. Montreal kept pressing for the tying goal in the third, and were rewarded later in the period. A bouncing puck found Dale Weise in the slot, who gloved it down and snapped it into the net. Overtime was needed for a second game in a row, allowing for the legend of Dutch Gretzky to continue. It started from the Canadiens zone, as Emelin attempted to clear the puck after a faceoff win by Montreal. The puck hit a stanchion, bouncing into the neutral zone. Mitchell got his stick on the puck, passing it to Weise. Weise would enter the Senators zone, stop short of the faceoff dot, and released a shot. Anderson got a piece of the shot, but not enough, as it ended up in the back of the net. A review was needed to make sure the puck went off the stanchion and not Brandon Prust's glove, but once that was confirmed, the game was over. Montreal's win pushed Ottawa to the brink of elimination.
Montreal Canadiens 0 - Ottawa Senators 1
Both teams had something on the line. For the Canadiens, it was a chance to sweep their opponent and have an extended rest heading into Round 2. For the Senators, it was do-or-die time, as a lose would send them heading for an early summer. Both teams had multiple chances in the first two periods, but both Price and Anderson stood tall to keep the game scoreless. Midway through the third, what looked liked the impossible happened. Cody Ceci would keep the puck in the Canadiens zone and find Mike Hoffman with a pass. Hoffman spun to face the net and released a shot that beat Price. The 1-0 scoreline would stand, as Anderson's 28 save performance help Ottawa shut out Montreal and extend the series.
Ottawa Senators 5 - Montreal Canadiens 1
The series shifted back to Montreal for Game 5, and in the end the home team looked to forget this game happened. Midway through the first period, Bobby Ryan's shot squeezed by Price to put the Senators in the lead. Six minutes later, Wiercioch beat a screened Price to extent Ottawa's lead. It wasn't until late in the second when Ottawa struck again. A couple quick passes on the powerplay resulted in Karlsson beating Price on a shot from the point. Early in the third is when the Canadiens finally solved Anderson. Tom Gilbert's point shot beat a screened Anderson to pull Montreal to within two. It was as close as the Canadiens would get. Late in the period, miscommunication between Markov and Subban lead to Erik Condra collecting a loose puck, go in, and deked out Price to extend Ottawa's lead. Just over two minutes to go, Anderson and Prust would get into a battle. It was Prust who came out with a double minor. Ryan scored on the powerplay to cap off the scoring. The 5-1 win pulled Ottawa to within a game in the series.
Montreal Canadiens 2 - Ottawa Senators 0
The series appeared in Ottawa once again, as the home team looked to force a Game 7. It was the Canadiens who struck first though. Greg Pateryn's point shot hit Gallagher in the slot, and would trickle past Anderson and into the net. The Senators picked it up from there, trying to find a way to tie the game. It looked like they had the tying goal in the second, as Jean-Gabriel Pageau pushed a rebound past Price. Unfortunately for the Senators, a quick whistle nullified that goal. Ottawa would not give up though, but they could not find an answer. Pacioretty iced the game, scoring on an empty net from deep in his own zone. Price stopped 43 shots in the shut out effort. Montreal won the game and the series, as they eliminate Ottawa in six games.
- Ejecting Subban for the slash was more than enough punishment. It sucks that he did end up hitting an unprotected part of Stone's wrist.
- Good on Ottawa for treating the Sens fans that were harassed by Habs fans. Also, shame on those Habs fans.
- Estimated years taken off my life because of this series: 2
Markov was always an emotional one.
Highlight of the Series
Damn it was hard to pick just one highlight. When in doubt: Subban slap shot.
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