Canadiens advance; Price shuts out Senators
Carey Price was the difference as the Canadiens dispatched the Senators in Game 6. (Getty Images)
Montreal Canadiens vs. Ottawa Senators, Game 6
Canadiens 2, Senators 0 | Canadiens win series 4-2
Game 6 in a nutshell: In a game that followed a similar script as many, many Habs games this season, Montreal was content to let Ottawa direct a whole bunch of shots at the net. Ottawa dominated the possession in the game, but Carey Price and a first-period goal from Brendan Gallagher were enough for the Canadiens to survive. Despite some tense moments late, Montreal held on to advance to the second round.
Turning point: A quick whistle from the referee in the second period cost the Senators what would have been the game tying goal. Carey Price made the initial save, but never had control of the puck. The whistle blew just as Jean-Gabriel Pageau was shoveling the puck into the net. It was waved off and even in that instant, the ref knew he made a mistake. The Senators had other chances, but that was a clear goal wiped off the board.
Three things we learned
1. Carey Price is Carey Price and you’re not. The NHL’s best goaltender turned in one of the finest goaltending performances of the postseason as he turned away shot after shot after shot. He made a ridiculous stick save on Kyle Turris in the first period to preserve the 1-0 lead, but he also did some of his best work in the last three minutes of the game when the Habs were shorthanded. Ottawa had several good looks, but Price was equal to them all. He finished the game with 43 saves to earn the shutout. He is the first goaltender to shut out Ottawa all season. With a goaltender like that, you always have a chance.
2. The Senators never once quit on this series. To the final second, Ottawa had a chance to at least tie the game and attempt to force a Game 7. Considering the miraculous run they went on to even make the playoffs at all, this Senators team was special. This season was special. It’s very difficult to know where this team will go from here as they’ll have some roster decisions to make. It’s pretty safe to say Dave Cameron is going to hang on to the head coaching job he earned in December after Paul MacLean was let go. All of those other personnel decisions will come later. The Sens left the ice to a standing ovation from their home fans and few times has it ever been more appropriate in a loss. Though it ended earlier than they wanted, the Ottawa Senators showed that there’s still some magic in this game.
3. As much praise as Carey Price deserves, the Habs are going to have a hard time winning the Cup playing this style of hockey. The Canadiens were out-shot 43-20, out-attempted 70-44. That’s a ridiculously lopsided level of possession. This kind of style puts undue strain on Price and doesn’t allow the offense to open things up at all. No matter Montreal’s next opponent, they’re probably going to end up on the wrong side of a lot of games. Price stole Game 6 and he might steal them a few more along the way, but he can’t win them all by himself.
Video of the game: Price’s saves throughout the game were nuts, but the goal that ended up being the game-winner was actually a tremendous display of both luck and skill coming together for Brendan Gallagher. First, he got a stick caught in his skates, then he got free and went to the net. Then the puck hit him before he spun around and knocked it into the net. That’s as crazy a sequence as you’ll see this postseason.
For the first time in the series, the @CanadiensMTL open the scoring. #MTLvsOTT https://t.co/AjTIp2zwYd
— NHL (@NHL) April 26, 2015
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