Top Six Minutes

Canadiens vs Senators Top Six Minutes: Canadiens fail to close out series

Some thoughts and highlights from Game 4 in the playoff series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators, where Ottawa defeated Montreal 1-0.

By Laura Saba@theactivestick Apr 22, 2015, 9:48pm EDT

Who in Saku's name is Mike Hoffman?
This seemed pretty inevitable. It was a frustrating night but the Habs only need to win one more game, and the Senators need to win three.
That said, no more hot tubs for these boys until they actually win a series or something.
Ottawa Senators fans chanting Carey Price's name like they have the right to even say it.
Death, taxes, Chris Neil being offside. Why did the Senators give him so many minutes?
It's not news that the Canadiens power play is abysmal. It's news that they seem to be finding ways to make it worse every chance they get. For example, the Sens didn't register a shot on goal tonight until the Habs went on the man advantage.
In another incident of PP crime, the Habs missed the widest of wide open nets.
Note to 29 teams: if you are being hemmed in your zone by the Habs, go ahead and take a penalty. You will not see your own zone again for the next two minutes.
That seven minutes in the first without a whistle was also seven minutes without a pulse.
Oh, except for a series of magnificent saves by Carey Price.
Greg Pateryn had a decent game, until he hit his face on Erik Condra there. Hopefully he's alright. Otherwise... the options are not pretty. Which mummified corpse/untested rookie do you play in his place?
What a weird call on that Bobby Ryan faceoff violation penalty. It seems rather arbitrary to suddenly call something you hardly ever see in a playoff elimination game, but hey. More than one person mentioned the possibility of the NHL having sent out a memo to pay more attention to faceoff violations. Who knows?
It didn't look like desperation or urgency but the Senators managed to maintain the upper hand when it came to shot attempt differential throughout all three periods. With the exception of Carey Price, the Habs didn't really seem to have much interest in finishing the series off.
A list of things that were not called during the third: at least one boarding, a too many men incident, forty five interferences, nine million hooks.
Where is the line to give a paper cut to anyone singing that damn "Pageau" song?
Most predictions were that this series would go to five games anyway. Now you have a reason to go out to the bar on Friday night. I mean... now you have a reason to have your regular Friday night.