2015 NHL Playoffs: Ottawa Senators vs Montreal Canadiens

There are two certainties for the Montreal Canadiens and their fans as we head towards the first round of the playoffs: there will be a new Stanley Cup champion in 2015, and the Habs Drive for 25 goes through the Ottawa Senators!

Here is the schedule of games for the series, with all games being televised on TVA and CBC, and the first 4 games at least are scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

DATE	TIME	HOME	AWAY
Wednesday, April 15th	7:00PM EST	Montreal Canadiens	Ottawa Senators
Friday, April 17th	7:00PM EST	Montreal Canadiens	Ottawa Senators
Sunday, April 19th	7:00PM EST	Ottawa Senators	Montreal Canadiens
Wednesday, April 22nd	7:00PM EST	Ottawa Senators	Montreal Canadiens
Friday, April 24th	TBD	Montreal Canadiens	Ottawa Senators
Sunday, April 26th	TBD	Ottawa Senators	Montreal Canadiens
Tuesday, April 28th	TBD	Montreal Canadiens	Ottawa Senators

The series was determined on the very last day of the season, an indication of just how tight the NHL standings are and how complex the playoff matchup can get. While the Habs were ready to face whoever they had to in order to make it to the next round, I believe there are plenty of reasons to be worried. Animosity, recent games, the season series, and the way the season ended for both of these teams are the major items I’d like to touch on, as well as the health of each club.

RECENT GAMES: THE BRAWL, ANIMOSITY, AND THE OUTCOMES

The most recent games the teams have played against one another, a 5-2 Habs loss and a 4-2 Habs loss, indicate just how tough the Sens are for the Habs to play against. Not only did the 4-2 loss kick-start the winning streak of the “Hamburglar” and give him his first NHL win, but it began the incredible series of events the Sens needed in order to make the playoffs – namely a 23-4-4 record over their last 31 games of the season. The Habs could not have picked a hotter and more confident team to play against in the first round. After all, 3 days before this win vs the Habs, the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch wrote:

"“A week ago the Senators may have finally hit their rock bottom.They woke up ranked No. 26 in the league, No. 14 in the East and were 14 points out of a playoff spot which sent some of their faithful into a debate whether they should indeed try to bottom out to get better odds at top pick Connor McDavid of the Erie Otters in the NHL entry draft in June.”"

And yet, here we are, less than 2 months later, with the Sens having earned a playoff berth and a shot at the cup. They did lose having a shot at Connor McDavid though, just for the record. The Sens are really the worst opposition for the Habs, as well as the best. How can a team be both? Well, they’re the worst opposition the Habs could face in the first round because of how they’re entering the playoffs and how the past games have gone between the 2 clubs. However, they’re also the best opposition the Habs could wish for because they are being questioned in such a way that it should motivate them to prove doubters wrong. They, coaches and players, have the ammunition needed to get amped for the series from past experiences, and the series – if they come out on top – will sharpen them up for the second round.

As the great Canadian Steve Nash once said, and P.K. Subban said something similar after the Habs beat the Leafs:

"“The playoffs are the playoffs. You just play who is put in front of you.”"

There’s one thing that’s going to be prominent in this series, animosity.

Actually, to say that there will be some animosity during this series is a massive understatement. These teams just don’t like each other much. The Sens just seem to get to the Habs in a way that few other teams in the NHL do. Here’s a reminder of what has happened between these franchises in recent years – and this is without any playoff intensity involved:

My belief is that these kinds of shenanigans are exactly what the Senators look for to gain an edge against more talented teams. They do work as hard as possible to be the first ones to loose pucks, and that creates a majority of their chances, but they also are excellent at finishing their checks, driving to the net, and getting in people’s faces. What seems to happen when they play the Habs is that Canadiens players want to concentrate on playing a more skilled hockey game, while the Senators players keep getting in the way of that. Will this change in the playoffs? As a Habs fan, let’s hope so.

The reality of this series is that the Habs need to be able to play tough enough to keep the Sens players off their backs but still create enough space to score against a very hard-working defensive team. How do you do that? You outwork the other team, and that’s a high workload when you’re facing this Sens team. If the Habs don’t outwork the Sens and let them get to pucks first, things could get ugly really quick in Montreal. I have confidence that Michel Therrien will be able to get these guys focused on doing that, and the players already know what they’re up against, so they’ll need very little coaching to get to where they need to be. After all, they only need to play this video of Lars Eller getting laid out by Eric Gryba to get them going:

THE SEASON SERIES

The Ottawa Senators have the edge here with a 3-1-0 record. The only time the Habs beat the Sens this season was on Dec. 20th, the Sens took the following 3 meetings.

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Can we take much away from this fact? Sure, we can deduct that the Sens will go into this series believing they can win, and the Habs will need to prove that they can. Does that make the Habs semi-underdogs? When combined with their season ending run, maybe.

HEALTH

Nobody would question anyone saying that health is a bigger issue for the Montreal Canadiens than it is for the Ottawa Senators in this series – so far. If Max Pacioretty plays the entire series, then fans can expect two evenly matched to go head-to-head when we talk about goal scoring. If he doesn’t play, it’s something that makes the Sens job easier than it otherwise would be and could put pressure on Carey Price to really shut down the Sens scoring.

Since we can also expect big hits and intensity, there’s no doubt in my mind that there will be a few hurting bodies during this series. It could be that the team that stays healthiest has the overall edge and comes out on top.

Oct 4, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Ottawa Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki (74) and Montreal Canadiens right wing Brandon Prust (8) fight during the first period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

There are some great stories to follow for this series. Brandon Prust is going to be a busy guy, Alexei Emelin will need to be robust, and Lars Eller will be looking for retribution. Carey Price will want to show the NHL he’s ready to take the next step in the playoffs and engrave his name on a Stanley Cup, while also showing Andrew Hammond that you can have an outstanding run in the regular season, but that the playoffs require another level of goaltending. Subban will be trying to outplay fellow Norris trophy possibility Erik Karlsson, and may even be called on to fight if the situation warrants it.

All-in-all, we are in for a heck of a series here folks, so hang on to your hard hats, because we’re about to go for a long ride through round 1. It won’t be easy, but I expect it to be entertaining and to have the Habs come out on top with the following outcome:

We’ll get to a position by position series preview next, so come back soon for that!

Next: Montreal Canadiens Prospect Profile: Charles Hudon

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