The Ottawa Senators have a chance to pull off something pretty special on Monday night at Scotiabank Place.
In a series where nobody gave them a chance and in a season where everyone has written them off, the Sens now return home to SBP with an opportunity to close out their series against the number one team in the Eastern Conference.
In the pivotal game five, Craig Anderson played what may have been his best game as an Ottawa Senator. He made a number of remarkable stops and kept a hard charging New York Rangers team off the scoresheet. Anderson was extremely sharp during four first period penalty kills and kept the Sens in the hockey game.
With Anderson playing the way he did, the Sens didn't need much in the way of goal support but they got a pair of huge goals from Jason Spezza. After two days of hearing about how he hadn't produced enough in this series, Spezza stepped up in a big way, scoring one goal in the first and closing out the game with an important empty net goal.
Have to love the way Spezza stepped up in a big game, even hitting the deck to block a shot in the third period.
Solid team effort top to bottom but I really liked the game of Sergei Gonchar last night. Gonchar takes a lot of heat at times but he is an extremely important defenceman for this hockey team. He logged more than 26 minutes and was a stabilizing presence on the Sens blueline
Mark Stone made his NHL debut and didn't take long to find the scoresheet as it was his pass that sprung Spezza for the game's opening goal. Stone looked quite comfortable in his 8:43 of ice time and gives the Sens another option up front.
Should be interesting to see what MacLean does with the line up on Monday night with Silfverberg potentially available.
Plenty of talk about a massive hit by Chris Neil late in Game 5. He caught Rangers forward Brian Boyle with his head down and knocked the big man down. Despite the grandstanding by John Tortorella after the game, there will be no suspension for the hit.
After their shutout win in Game 5, the Senators now return to the ice at Scotiabank Place with an opportunity to eliminate the New York Rangers. Can't wait to see and experience the atmosphere at SBP on Monday night.
Sens are scheduled for a 1:00 PM practice in Ottawa. Will post updates from that practice when they become available.
