Canadiens: Cautiously Optimistic For Game 4

CANADIENS: Cautiously Optimistic For Game 4

The Montreal Canadiens are in good shape. They’ve taken a rival and shown up this opponent three times in a row. The Ottawa Senators were a concern to many fans – and the Habs didn’t take them lightly. But after three games, the Habs are on the brink of the series win, and looking good.

I’ve heard many a rumble, since the incredible overtime win to Game 3, about brooms and sweeps. In fact, being the superstitious person I am, that’s the first time I’ve actually written that “aloud”. And while it’s a possibility, it’s important to stay the course.

The Canadiens are a focused group. It’s the hallmark of their style. When Ottawa brought a noticeably physical game, Sunday night, Montreal responded with a win. With 61 body checks/hits versus the 36 the Canadiens threw at their opponents, they might have left more bruised than the Senators but they focused on the puck. The Habs have character and determination, and while they know they must expect to be pummeled, they will retaliate with sticks on the ice and – hopefully – pucks in the Ottawa net.

Habs coach Michel Therrien has confidence in his team and knows that their secret is not to panic, or lose their own self-confidence. It’s how they faced a very physical, hostile environment in Ottawa Sunday night. It is how they will face the same scenario for Game 4.

The Canadiens didn’t get to playoffs by being known as a purely physical team. It is their speed, their hard shots and their never-say-die attitude that kept them in playoff position from the top of the season.

Look for Ottawa to play desperate hockey. It is always the case when a team is in a precarious position that they pull out all the stops. The lineup change alone – David Legwand out, Zack Smith in – shows that Ottawa is going to push the physical.

Smith is a fourth-line center who sustained a wrist injury in December and has only played the last 10 games of the season. Still, he has 23 playoff games in his repertoire and is confident in the face-off circle.

Smith comes in at a disadvantage; his team is on the brink of elimination and will remain there until (more to the point, if) there is a Game 7. Ottawa has played strong, but Montreal has had the victories.

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The Canadiens also have a fresh entry in the lineup: defenseman Greg Pateryn will be stepping in for Nathan Beaulieu, who was injured by Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson in Game 3. Both d-men are 6’2″ and physical players, and neither has a hard time bringing a challenge to the other side. Interviewed early Tuesday, Pateryn expressed confidence in his team and his ability to contribute to a win.

The Senators have already announced Craig Anderson as their Game 4 goalie. No one can disagree that Anderson was stellar in Game 3.

I’ve said it before, and will reiterate: this was never supposed to be an easy series to play or win. The Senators have given the Canadiens a real run for their money, with one-goal decisions and two overtime games.

But as with the Canadiens management,  team, and fan base, cautious optimism is the key. There are many who say there’s no way Ottawa can win 4 games in a row. Actually, they can; their miracle run got them into playoffs when practically every regular-season game was a must-win.

The Habs are a team that has stepped up in every way possible; they are formidable opponents.

But will they?

The Habs are a team that has stepped up in every way possible; they are formidable opponents. To a man, they have made few mistakes and have propelled their team upward.

But the Senators are also up against Carey Price, a goaltender who has not only been called the greatest goalie in the league, but – by the Senators’ own head coach Dave Cameron – the “greatest goaltender in the world.”

Carey Price, who has stolen many a regular-season game for the Habs.

Carey Price who has been able to save at least one shot more on goal than his opponents this series, keeping the Senators at bay for 3 games so far.

Carey Price who is the clear leader and ersatz captain of the team.

And it is possible, though highly unlikely, that the Senators will beat him 4 times in a row.

After all, if this goes to a Game 5, it will be back at the Bell Centre; with home ice advantage, the loudest fans in the league, and the confidence that is always infused into the energy of the Montreal Canadiens when they play at home – the Senators’ chances are not very good.