by Michael Ham-Fan, Staff Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine

This article is a follow-up on a previous one titled “First Thoughts About the Canadiens – Senators Playoff Series“, written before the series started. Please click the link and have a read!

MONTREAL, QC. – There is a hockey saying that points out that a team has not lost a playoff series until you have lost a game at home. The Senators have to live by that thought even if they got outplayed in a multitude of aspects in the first two games at the Bell Centre.

On the Habs side, while they can’t get too complacent, they have to be satisfied with the effort they put out in their last two victories.

Here are a few thoughts I have gathered through the first two games.

Fast pace

The pace and the speed of theses two games were astonishing. Like I expected, although both teams have shown a lot of speed, creating a lot of scoring chances from both sides, the Habs have displayed the better level of competitiveness right out of the gate. Michel Therrien’s team seems better prepared and have outshot their opponents 81 – 64 and the Senators seems to have no answer for the Habs’ forecheck. It has been a treat to watch for hockey fans and I have certainly enjoyed it.

Experience counts

Not only does it show on the ice, but also the Canadiens have had the better end of the media play off the ice, in my opinion. With the Subban – Stone ‘scandal’ of Game 1, head coach Dave Cameron made a rookie mistake by calling out the league to suspend P.K. Subban following his slash to Mark Stone‘s wrist. Subban was initially given a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for his actions. The whole incident was followed by commentaries by the head coach, the general manager, and a few Senators’ players who were all in favour of harsher discipline on the Habs’ defenseman. The league decided not to suspend Subban, and the Habs’ organization decided to focus on the game rather than on the incident. Michel Therrien and P.K. Subban handled their press conferences with class and respect and in my books, they “won” that battle.

On top of this, Stone played in Game 2, tallying two primary assists on both Senators’ goals, making some hockey fans wonder how accurate the initial injury report was. P.K. Subban on his side came back for Game 2 determined to make an impact as only Subban can. He played 29:06 minutes, the most of any skaters on both teams. He also scored the Habs’ second goal with a very powerful slap shot that surprised goaltender Andrew Hammond.

Jeff Petry and Tom Gilbert

I am impressed by the play of these two defensemen since the start of this series. Andrei Markov had a very difficult Game 1 and P.K. Subban only played nine minutes because he got a game penalty. Jeff Petry and Tom Gilbert both played exactly 24:39 minutes, tied for the highest ice-time on their team. They then played 21:49 and 19:07 in Game 2. In two games, Petry has had nine hits and six shots on goal, while playing nearly perfect all around game and Gilbert has blocked nine shots and is a plus-2 in this series. Their play and their ability to log a lot of tough minutes for the team have been a big reason why the Habs have dominated most of the first two games, despite the close scores.

Relentlessness

Relentlessness. That is a word I would use to describe the Habs’ work through two games starting with the most relentless one: Brendan Gallagher. The diminutive forward has taken a lot of abuse from the Senators’s players in theses two games, even for the usual Gallagher standard of abuse-taking. Despite that, he has managed to get 10 shots on goal and an assist.

The supporting cast has also shown an excellent work ethic. Brian Flynn, Torrey Mitchell, Brandon Prust, Dale Weise and even Lars Eller have all given their team an extra effort in the first two games. They’re ability to fore-check and to keep the puck behind the Ottawa defense has been impressive.

Between the Pipes

Andrew Hammond has not been solid in this series. Although he has kept his team within one goal in each of the two losses, he has let in a few goals that he shouldn’t have. The worry on Hammond is not only the actual goals he let in but also how he handled the Habs’ shot in general. He looks very nervous and frankly uncomfortable. That said, Hammond is not the only reason that Ottawa is trailing 0-2 in the series. It will be very interesting to see if the Senators turn to Craig Anderson for Game 3.

Carey Price, for his part, has been decent. He has let in five goals in two games, but he has shut the door when it was necessary. He is not the biggest reason his team has won the two games, but his calm demeanour always give his team confidence. He has looked better in Game 2 than in Game 1 and that is a very encouraging sign.

The Next Challenge

Now, onto the next challenge at the Canadian Tire Centre where Senators’ fans will do their best to make it as miserable as possible for the Canadiens on the ice. But, I have previously predicted that the Habs win this series in five games, and I am confident of that choice. With that in head, I am certain that the Senators will make adjustments to their line-up and to their game plan to try to stay alive in this series. I still predict that it will be a rather short series, but with all games being close in scoring.