There’s just something about this time of year.
April in Canada. The days are getting longer. The temperature is rising after a long, cold winter. The birds are chirping. There is that certain smell in the air. I’m quite certain that smell is thawing dog turds and yet still, it’s strangely pleasant.
It’s playoff weather. There’s no other way to describe it.
Right on time too. The Senators and Canadiens play Game 1 of their best-of-seven series today at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
While the experts are mostly overlooking the Ottawa Senators heading into the post-season, folks around the Nation’s Capital know this Sens team is going to be a tough out. They went on a miraculous run just to make the playoffs in the first place and they come into this series as one of the league’s hottest teams.
Their lineup is filled with young players at key positions and it’s that youthful enthusiasm that should carry them through this first round match-up against the Canadiens.
It’s been awhile but there is a playoff history between these two teams. Back in 2013, a feisty Sens team knocked off the heavily favoured Montreal Canadiens in a five-game trouncing. Lars Eller, a line brawl, a Pageau hat-trick and a sicko-level timeout. That series had it all.
The Habs got the upper hand a couple years later in a series nobody remembers. Or maybe that I chose to forget.
While there’s no doubt this Sens team is an underdog heading into the playoffs, don’t tell that to Sens fans.
It has been four long years since this team last qualified for the playoffs so as you’d expect, there’s a buzz in the air around town. Sens jerseys everywhere you look, car flags and even an awkward Sens flag raising at City Hall. We’ve seen it all in the lead up to the series opener. Elgin Street will be buzzing this afternoon and yesterday, the team announced that they’ll open up the CTC to fans hoping to watch on the big screen.
Based on some of the buzz on Twitter, it sounds like there are a ton of Sens fans expected to make the trip to Montreal for today’s game. The Bell Centre will be packed when puck drops later today but as everyone knows, it will be nothing compared to when the series shifts back to the CTC.
If you’ve ever been in that building at playoff time, the atmosphere is on another level. Sens fans have taken a bit of heat over the years but when that building is rocking, there’s nothing like it.
No game day skate ahead of the series opener but DJ Smith is expected to meet with the media around 1:25 PM to outline any last minute changes. Based on what we saw at yesterday’s practice, it sounds like Shane Pinto will make his NHL debut. And in a playoff game no less!
Here’s how the Senators are expected to line up for this one.
Tkachuk-Norris-Batherson
Stützle-White-Dadonov
Formenton-Pinto-C. Brown
Paul-Tierney-Dzingel
Chabot-Zaitsev
Brannstrom-Zub
Mete-J. Brown
Matt Murray is expected to get the start in goal for the Senators.
Game 1 puck drop is scheduled for just after 4:00 PM although some sort of strange torch-carrying, ice-lighting, Coldplay-blaring ceremony is likely to delay things slightly. The game is available on TSN2, TSN5 and RDS. TSN1200 will have the radio broadcast and the pregame show is expected to start around noon.
Go Sens Go!
Here’s a closer look at how these team’s match-up heading into Game 1.
| HEAD2HEAD |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 14-26-4 (32 pts) | 19-13-9 (47 pts) |
| Goals For | 2.64 (21st) | 3.02 (12th) |
| Goals Against | 3.70 (31st) | 2.73 (13th) |
| Power Play | 15.9% (27th) | 19.8% (T-16th) |
| Penalty Kill | 76.1% (25th) | 77.3% (T-22nd) |
| Shots For | 31.1 (7th) | 32.5 (3rd) |
| Shots Against | 32.7 (29th) | 28.3 (7th) |
| Leading Scorers | Chabot- 28 pts Tkachuk- 26 pts Batherson- 25 pts Brown- 25 pts Norris- 25 pts |
Toffoli- 32 pts Petry- 30 pts Suzuki- 27 pts Tatar- 27 pts Drouin- 23 pts |
| Starting Goalie | Matt Murray 7-13-1 3.80 GAA, .882 sv% |
Carey Price 12-6-5 2.66 GAA, .903 sv% |
