The SB Nation Blogs
Silver Seven vs. Eyes On The Prize
The Stats
| Ottawa Senators | Montreal Canadiens | |||
| Record | 25-17-6 | 14th | 29-14-5 | 4th |
| GF/Game | 2.33 | 27th | 3.04 | 4th |
| GA/Game | 2.08 | 2nd | 2.58 | 14th |
| 5-on-5 SF/60 | 32.8 | 1st | 30.2 | 7th |
| 5-on-5 SA/60 | 29.9 | 21st | 26.9 | 6th |
| Fenwick Close | 52.05 | 10th | 53.63 | 8th |
| 5-on-5 Save % | .934 | 1st | .918 | 16th |
| 5-on-4 GF/60 | 5.4 | 19th | 6.7 | 12th |
| # of PP’s/Gm | 3.27 | 17th | 4.22 | 1st |
| 4-on-5 GA/60 | 4.2 | 2nd | 7.2 | 23rd |
| # of PK’s/Gm | 3.48 | 20th | 3.60 | 25th |
These are two pretty high-quality teams, with the big matchup taking place on special teams. The Habs draw the most penalty calls in the league and get more than their share of power play opportunities, but the Senators are good penalty killers and have received strong goaltending this season.
Ottawa Senators
The Sens are perhaps the feel-good hit of the NHL season, as they overcame serious injuries to star players but still qualified for the playoffs. Center Jason Spezza has been out since the fifth game of the season after having back surgery, and isn’t expected back during this series. 2012 Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson missed more than two months following a slice to his Achilles tendon, but returned to the ice recently and is shouldering a full workload, playing more than 27 minutes a night in the final three games of the regular season.
In their absence, the notable name up front was young Kyle Turris, who has seemingly done well for himself after asking for a trade out of Phoenix. He gets about 50% more ice time than he used to, and rewarded that trust by leading the Sens in scoring this season:
The scene-stealer is goaltender Craig Anderson, however. This guy’s numbers have bounced around pretty crazily over the years, but this season has perhaps been his finest effort yet:
Montreal Canadiens
The Habs have run hot & cold in 2013, with both winning and losing streaks of four and five games each. That said, they were able to capture their first Northeast Division title in five years. Max Pacioretty has continued his development to become the Habs’ leading scorer (producing nearly a point per game), but the real step forward has been taken by defenseman P.K. Subban, who is getting some run as a Norris Trophy candidate:
All eyes will be on Carey Price, however, as Montreal fans have been waiting for him to assume the mantle of playoff-dominating goalie, in the mold of Patrick Roy or (briefly) Jaroslav Halak. Is this the year he busts through? Through 26 career post-season games, his total save percentage is an unimpressive .907.
Montreal Canadiens/Ottawa Senators TV Schedule
| Date | Time (CTL) | Location | TV |
| Thursday, May 2 | 6:00 p.m. | Montreal | CBC, RDS, CNBC |
| Friday, May 3 | 6:00 p.m. | Montreal | CBC, RDS, CNBC |
| Sunday, May 5 | 6:00 p.m. | Ottawa | CBC, RDS, NBC Sports |
| Tuesday, May 7 | 6:00 p.m. | Ottawa | CBC, RDS, CNBC |
| *Thursday, May 9 | 6:00 p.m. | Montreal | CBC, RDS |
| *Saturday, May 11 | TBD | Ottawa | CBC, RDS |
| *Sunday, May 12 | TBD | Montreal | CBC, RDS |
OTF Staff Picks
| Picks | Winner | Comment |
| Dirk | Ottawa | Erik Karlsson’s return is the X factor which gives the Senators an upset chance. |
| Sam | Montreal | I like their jerseys. |
| Caroline | Ottawa | They feel like a little bit of an underdog, what with all the injuries, but I think they could pull off a win. Sens in 6. |
| Jonathan | Montreal | If any of us are able to stay awake through an entire Senators game, we may just see the Habs win in 6. |
| Chris | Montreal | Still can’t believe the turnaround in Montreal. Still can’t believe the Sens made the playoffs. Habs in 5 |
| George | Montreal | Total guess. So is 5 games. |
| Jason | Ottawa | Deer Antler Spray swings the series…Senators in 6. |
Who wins this series?
| Montreal Canadiens | 5 |
| Ottawa Senators | 18 |