Sens steal all-canadian duel
Eller suffers multiple injuries, NHL hearing likely for Gryba
MONTREAL— Fifty shots is usually enough to win a hockey game, but apparently not when Craig Anderson is in goal.
Anderson made 48 saves and the Ottawa Senators staged a third-period comeback to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 in the opener of the first playoff series ever between the geographic rivals.
The Canadiens set team playoff records with 27 shots in the second period and 50 overall in what was a losing cause mostly because Anderson outplayed Montreal goalie Carey Price, who stopped 27 shots at the other end.
“What can you say? Andy’s our MVP,” said defenceman Marc Methot, who scored the game-winning goal. “He’s a machine back there. He just keeps going and going. We’re lucky to have him in the net.”
Game 2 is Friday night at the Bell Centre, and the Canadiens will be without one of their hottest forwards, centre Lars Eller, who was wheeled off the ice on a stretcher — bleeding heavily from the face — and taken to hospital. He suffered a concussion as well as fractures to his face and teeth, after an openice hit from Ottawa defenceman Eric Gryba.
Eller had taken an ill-considered pass up the middle from Raphael Diaz when he was flattened by Gryba with a hit that the NHL is likely to review toward further discipline. He was given a major penalty for interference and a game misconduct.
“It was a hockey play,” said Ottawa coach Paul MacLean. “Our guy hit him, but Player 61 (Diaz) is the guy to blame.”
“I can’t comment,” said Montreal coach Michel Therrien.
Brendan Gallagher scored during the result- ing power play to put Montreal up 2-1, but the Senators’ league-best penalty killers then shut the door during a full two-minute, twoman advantage to stay close heading into the third.
Jakob Silfverberg tied it with a shot that sailed between Price’s legs from the right circle 3:27 into the period and Mathot swept a shot from the point into the top corner to put Ottawa ahead at 5:20.
Guillaume Latendresse, the former Cana- dien who was booed by most of the announced crowd of 21,273, sealed the win with a goal that went in off his body as he drove to the net at 13:55. Erik Karlsson scored in the first period for Ottawa, while Rene Bourque got one early in the second for Montreal. “You just have to give your team an opportunity to stay in the game and win,” said Anderson, who led NHL goaltenders with a 1.69 goals-against average and a .941 save mark this season, but likely won’t be a Vezina Trophy finalist because he missed 20 games with an ankle injury. Therrien was impressed. “We played a good game and we deserved a better result,” he said. “I’m proud of our team. “We had 50 shots. We went to the net, but the story of the game was Anderson. He was extraordinary.”