CBC Sports - Hockey Night in Canada

@hockeynight #hockeynight

Quarter-Finals

Series Headlines RSS

Sens attack built on physicality, counterpunching: Pittsburgh no doubt is aware the Ottawa Senators' disciplined attack is built on being physical in front of its own net and counterpunching. The Senators allowed just 104 goals all season.
Canadiens look to build on positives next season: The Montreal Canadiens tried to focus on the positive on Saturday after a roller-coaster season that saw the team finish a surprising second in the Eastern Conference, then quickly bow out in the playoffs.
blog Underdog Senators shake Round 1 demons: It has been six years since the Ottawa Senators went to the Stanley Cup final and six years since they advanced past the first round. They finally got over the hump Thursday night and it couldn't have felt better.
recap Senators oust Canadiens from playoffs: The Ottawa Senators are off to the second round of the NHL playoffs after a 6-1 win Thursday over the Montreal Canadiens. Ottawa won the Eastern Conference quarter-final series 4-1.
point of view Senators excited about playoff series win: Within minutes of booking their ticket to the second round of the NHL playoffs by defeating Montreal, members of the Ottawa Senators - including the owner - headed to Twitter to express the excitement in the dressing room.
Habs goalie Carey Price out for remainder of Sens series: The Montreal Canadiens, on the brink of elimination, said the morning of Game 5 on Thursday that goalie Carey Price is out with a lower body injury for the rest of the first round against Ottawa.
recap Canadiens' Game 4 OT loss to Senators costly: Kyle Turris scored at 2:32 of overtime as the Ottawa Senators overcame a 2-0 deficit to beat Montreal 3-2 Tuesday. The Canadiens also lost goalie Carey Price to injury at the end of regulation.
Ottawa vs. Montreal: the 'Tooth Fairy' series: In each of the first three games of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarter-final series between the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens, whomever lost a tooth became the star of the game.
blog Canadiens, Senators series turns ugly after Game 3 brawl: The off-ice war of words between the Montreal Canadiens and Senators turned to action Sunday night as the teams combined for 236 penalty minutes during Ottawa's 6-1 victory at Scotiabank Place.
recap Senators shell Canadiens in fight-filled affair: Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored his first NHL hat trick Sunday night to lead the Senators in a fight-filled, 6-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens as Ottawa took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

More headlines »

Photos: Stanley Cup 2013

video

audio

Opinion »

More Opinion »

Series Leaders

Full leaderboard »

Team Injuries

Recent
Team

Team Analysis

	Strengths	Weaknesses	Key Player
Montreal Canadiens Regular Season Stats Roster	A mix of youth, grit, and experience. The Habs got tougher to play against with Brandon Prust in the lineup, early-season holdout P.K. Subban returned to the team and took the next step in his development, and the second coming of Michael Ryder has paid off in spades.	Are they built for a long playoff run? The Habs had plenty of success in the regular season (they devoured the Southeast Division with a 12-2-0 record) but when push comes to shove in a seven-game series, they'll need to show their mettle and willingness to grind out wins.	Carey Price. Montreal's jump from 15th in the East last season was made possible by the steady play of its goalie. That type of performance will be needed if the Habs are to make more than a cameo appearance in the playoffs.
Ottawa Senators Regular Season Stats Roster	Resiliency. After a slew of injuries, the Senators have regained most of their top talent. Craig Anderson, Milan Michalek and Erik Karlsson have all returned to the lineup to bolster a plucky Senators team that refused to be counted out of playoff contention despite also losing Jason Spezza early in the season.	A lack of goals has the team dependent on Craig Anderson to keep the opposition off the board, but the surprising return of star defenceman Erik Karlsson from an Achilles injury should pay off in that respect.	Erik Karlsson. The 2012 Norris Trophy winner paid dividends in his first game back in the lineup after suffering a torn Achilles tendon, providing the primary assist in both goals the Sens scored on April 25 to help push them into the playoffs.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Key Player

Montreal Canadiens

Regular Season Stats
Roster

A mix of youth, grit, and experience. The Habs got tougher to play against with Brandon Prust in the lineup, early-season holdout P.K. Subban returned to the team and took the next step in his development, and the second coming of Michael Ryder has paid off in spades.

Are they built for a long playoff run? The Habs had plenty of success in the regular season (they devoured the Southeast Division with a 12-2-0 record) but when push comes to shove in a seven-game series, they'll need to show their mettle and willingness to grind out wins.

Carey Price. Montreal's jump from 15th in the East last season was made possible by the steady play of its goalie. That type of performance will be needed if the Habs are to make more than a cameo appearance in the playoffs.

Ottawa Senators

Regular Season Stats
Roster

Resiliency. After a slew of injuries, the Senators have regained most of their top talent. Craig Anderson, Milan Michalek and Erik Karlsson have all returned to the lineup to bolster a plucky Senators team that refused to be counted out of playoff contention despite also losing Jason Spezza early in the season.

A lack of goals has the team dependent on Craig Anderson to keep the opposition off the board, but the surprising return of star defenceman Erik Karlsson from an Achilles injury should pay off in that respect.

Erik Karlsson. The 2012 Norris Trophy winner paid dividends in his first game back in the lineup after suffering a torn Achilles tendon, providing the primary assist in both goals the Sens scored on April 25 to help push them into the playoffs.