Canadiens vs. Senators Top Six Minutes: Dress rehearsal is over

For our new readers and members, the Top Six Minutes is a continuation of the discussion in the game thread. We try to keep it light and entertaining. Full recaps are up the morning after every game.

Pre-game

• News broke of Carey Price checking himself into the NHL/NHLPA assistance program today. Good for him. Just look out when he gets back.
• Luckily we have Jake Allen in our corner. The guy who helped get us to the postseason last year.
• Oh, hey! Caufield is back.

First period

• Anderson opens the scoring 10 seconds in!! Extra special bonus: Lehky picks up the assist.
• While waiting for a penalty to be called on the Sens, the Habs go for the extra man and Petry bangs in another one to make it 2-0. Oh, and we’re just four minutes in.
• Romanov picks up both secondary assists. Somebody came to play tonight.
• Allen faces a flurry of shots, stops about four of them, loses his stick and Norris manages to end up going top shelf to get the Sens on the board.
• Evans gets crushed into the boards and is slow, very slow, to get up.
• This is going to be a loooong season if panic sets in every time a Hab is touched.

Second period

• Lehky almost makes it a two-goal lead once again. Almost. Story of Lehkonen’s life.
• Instead, it’s Pinto who flat out beats Romanov and ties it up.
• Evans is back. Whew. We haven’t even started the season yet. Please, no more injuries.
• Savard heads to the box for holding.
• Norris capitalizes on a turnover and Ottawa takes the lead.
• Oh, Poehling. We can’t really afford a four-minute penalty right now. Agozzino, you bleed too easily.
• If that wasn’t enough, Armia gets a dumb delay of game penalty to make it 5-on-3.
• Clearly, the Habs feel bad for doing so well in the first period.
• Poehling tries to bury one to redeem himself, but not only does it end with a non-goal, it ends with a scrum.
• Things are evening out. Norris heads to the sin bin for a double-minor this time for roughing against Dvorak and Poehling. Just taking on everyone, hey Norris?
• Four-on-four it is.
• The good news is our penalty kill unit is looking pretty good tonight.
• Ref calls a Sens goal that literally nobody else can see even if at every angle and in slow-mo.

Third period

• So, all we need are three goals and for the Sens to not get anything else past Allen. Hmmm...
• Well, we’re off to the power play so that’s a good start.
• One goal down! Suzuki works at closing the gap with a PPG! Gallagher and Caufield pick up the assists. Now that was fun!
• The NHL is cracking down on cross-checking. Caveat: unless they’re against Brendan Gallagher.
• It’s not over until PETRY says it’s over!! We’re tied in the final minute. And off we go to...

Overtime

• Batherson hits the crossbar.
• Caufield in all alone but taken down just inches from the net.
• Batherson heads to the box for hooking and Ducharme calls a time out with 2.3 seconds left.
• Shootout it is then.

Shootout

• Caufield is up... too slow, Cole.
• Stutzle, nope.
• Suzuki ran out of ice.
• Zub. Fail.
• Dvorak, you’re up. Notta.
• Batherson goes wide.
• Armia... shows ‘em how it’s done. Top corner. Boom!!
• Brown also shows ‘em how it’s done.
• Toffoli, got nuthin’.
• Norris goes bar and in.
• That’s it, folks. Time to get serious.