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Monday, May 11, 2015

ROUND 1 RECAP: Montreal Canadiens VS Ottawa Senators (MTL wins series 4-2)













GAME 1: Montreal wins 4-3

Habs get off to a bad start. Michalek throws the puck to the net and Price makes the save, but Markov taps it into his own net. 1-0 after one. The second period was jammed  packed with offense... First Mitchell scores to tie it. Followed by Plekanec giving the Habs the lead less than 20 seconds later. Ottawa doesn't quit. 2 minutes later, Turrus scores on the powerplay to tie it at 2-2.  A minute later Eller gets a breakway and scores 3-2. The Senators would tie it a minute later... But it would be Flynn for the Habs scoring late in period 2 to get the lead back to 4-3 and that would hold up as the winner. Carey Price made 30 saves in the victory as the Habs took game 1.

GAME 2:  Montreal wins in overtime to take a 2-0 series lead

For the second straight game, the Senators strike first with a goal from MacArthur. Ottawa leads after one. Habs on the poerplay in period two, Paciorettys wrist shot beats Hammond to tie it up. Shortly after that Subban rockets a shot from the point to give Montreal a 2-1 lead after two. With under 10 to go in period 3, the Ottawa Senators go on a powerplay where Wiercoioch would score to tie it. This game needed some overtime... Three and a half minutes in, Gallaghers shot was stopped and Galchenyuk would put home the rebound and the Habs took a 2-0 series edge. Price was solid making 29 saves in the victory.

GAME 3: New goaltender... Same story.

Ottawa made a decision to put Craig Anderson back in goal after Hammond lost Games 1 & 2. But it wouldn't make a difference... At least for this game. The Habs dominated play, but for the third straight game, gave up the first goal from MacArthur. They would continue to dominate, but Anderson had all the answers until the final 6 minutes of the third. Prusts shot from the right wing deflected right to Weiss and he scored to tie the game! We would need overtime again. 9 minutes in a hard slap-shot from the left wing by Dale Weiss beat the Senators goaltender and for the second straight season the Habs have a 3-0 series lead. In a losing effort, Anderson made 47 saves. In the win, Price made 33 saves.

GAME 4: Anderson shuts out the Habs

The Habs played a solid game against the Senators in Game 4, but failed to beat Anderson.. Hoffmans goal at the 9 minute mark of the third was the only goal of the game as Ottawa stayed alive. Anderson made 28 saves for the shutout and Price made 31 saves and was the main reason the score wasn't worse.

GAME 5: Can't close it out.

The Canadiens were back on home ice looking to close out the series... But they couldn't get it done, Price had an off night giving up 5 goals on 25 shots. Most of the Senators goals were scored due to failure from the Habs defense to clear the front of the net. If Price sees the puck he will stop it 10 out of 10 times, in this game he couldn't see anything and the 5-1 loss is proof of that. The winning goal from the Sens was scored by Wiercoich in the first period. In the win, Anderson made 45 saves and was sensational once more to bring the series to a game 6.

GAME 6: Price saves the day as the Habs win the series!

Game 6, do or die once again for Ottawa, this time back on home ice. Can they make history and tie the series after being down 3-0? They played well enough in the series to win it... But the X factor in Game 6 was Carey Price. Lets go back to period 1... 13 minutes in, Plekanecs shot is blocked. The puck is in the air in the slot, it goes from Gallaghers glove down to his stick in mid air and he bats it in on the back hand to give Montreal the 1-0 lead. In the second, Price makes a save and Zibanejab sees the puck behind him and knocks it in... But hold on. The whistle went... NO GOAL! Habs lead after 2. In the dying minutes of the third, Price looked like a cross between, Drydan and Hasek, diving everywhere to make saves and keep the puck out. At the end of the night he did what he had to and made 43 saves and Pacioretty scored an empty net goal with 0.2 on the clock as the Montreal Canadiens win 2-0 and advanced to round 2 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

- Andrew Di Pardo

NEXT ARTICLE: Round 2 Recap