With the series shifting to Scotiabank Place, where the Senators have been lights out this season, Ottawa knew they had a chance to take control of their first round series with the Canadiens.
And they did exactly that on Sunday night, routing the Habs to the tune of 6-1. Rookie Jean Gabriel Pageau was elevated to the status of folk hero, as the Ottawa native scored three times and sending the home town crowd away with what will go down as one of the most memorable games ever played at Scotiabank Place.
The 6-1 final indicates a one sided game but this was actually a pretty close game heading to the final frame. But Pageau’s second and then a goal by Turris just six minutes later sent this game over the edge. Michel Therrien continues to talk about a lack of class shown by Paul MacLean but he should be downright embarrassed over the way his players handled themselves in this one. The meltdown after the 4th Ottawa goal (where the Sens won all five fights by the way) was completely initiated by a frustrated Montreal team.
Things should calm down on Tuesday night when Eric Gryba steps back into the line up…
The post-game talk was dominated by Montreal’s borderline embarrassing antics but nothing could take away from Pageau’s remarkable night.
The first time the Pageau chant started (set to the tune of that annoying Ole chant) you could see fans straining their ears to pick up what the crowd was saying. By the time Pageau scored his third, every Sens fan at SBP was signing along. A truly spontaneous moment and something you just don’t see very often in pro sports. And then to see the video of the guys in the locker room chanting it to him after wards was just incredible.
And while it got lost in the show stealing performance by Pageau, I thought Craig Anderson played extremely well in Game 3, making some big stops when his team sputtered a little bit in the second period.
Game 4 of this series goes on Tuesday night as the Senators have an opportunity to put the Canadiens on the ropes.
Can’t wait.
