Offence to Ottawa.
Defence to Mtl.
Goaltending close if Hammond keep the pace but i think it's the ?? for Sens. Let's say edge to Mtl right now.
Special teams. They both suck. Even.
5 on 5. Even if Pacioretty healthy.
Coaching... Who knows but experience definately goes to Therrien.

Intangibles:
Playoffs experience to Mtl.
Momentum to Ottawa.
Games between the two teams : Ottawa

Wrap up:

Globally , i give the edge to Mtl but intangibles are on Ott's side.

If Hammond continue his play, it will be tough for Mtl to produce sustained offence, even if Pacioretty plays. But i think he will downgrade is efficiency during the first 2 games and OTT will turn to Anderson for game 3.

My uneducated guess??

Mtl wins first 3 games to win in 5 games if Hammond returns to normal status. But if he is still solid, i say Ott in 6.
- soad_live

I can dig this, and also what sens-11 was saying too. One factor you missed tho is that is almost all home games for the habs. Should factor in a bit when they need the crowd boost. Also both teams are somewhat different than 2013, but jared saying the habs were dominated is ludicrous, im sure he meant dominated by an outstanding performance by anderson. That said the habs may be motivated to not have that happen again.

Love this sens team tho, and i know educated fans on both sides see that win or lose both teams are on the right teack and should have alot of syccess in the years to come. A gew tweeks here and there. ( one dig tho, habs ownership likes to spend and will spend money, wish the sens ownership would too)

Goalie - Edge Montreal +4
Defense - Edge Ottawa +2
Offense - Edge Ottawa +1
PP - Edge Montreal +1
PK - Edge Montreal +1
Coaching - Edge Montreal +1
Size - Ottawa +1
Speed - Even
Discipline - Even
Depth - Ottawa +2

Pressure + expectation - Edge Ottawa +2
Intangibles - Ottawa +2

Hockey Gods - Ottawa +5


By my calculations Ottawa is up by +8.

Sens win Wednesday - win series in 6

This is a huge stage for the coming out of Kaptain Karlsson. Last week Brian Murray said Karllson has become a "wonderful" captain. I believe Karlsson is the best player in the NHL. I have said it many times before. The team that has the best player often wins the Stanley Cup.

I think the hardest challenge for the Sens is getting past the 2nd best player in the league. I could see the Sens having a deep run if they can get passed Price. But, Price is the player that can stop them cold.

Hammond's success in the past month and a half-2 months means absolutely squat right now. This is the playoffs. Price knows what to expect, he doesn't. Like it or not, Montreal has the clear advantage in net.
- habfanforever

if what hammond has done means squat, then why does what price has done mean anything?

you can't say what hammond has done in the past couple of months means nothing, while at the same time saying that price is better because of what he's done in the past.........that's a ridiculous way to make a point.

right now, this day, as the playoffs are about to start. hammond is the hottest goalie playing. everyone, and i mean EVERYONE, says that a hot goalie wins series.........so there is no reason that ottawa shouldn't be confident that their goalie is evenly matched, RIGHT NOW, with montreal.
- sensarmy_11

A few years ago Price was one of the hottest goalies in the NHL going into the playoffs, he got blasted in the first round. Experience IS everything

I just don't view Montreal as a strong team outside of Price. Sorry, I can't go out and say you guys are amazing. You aren't. At best it's a coin flip this series. And, the pressure is on Montreal, there is absolutely no pressure on the Sens.

Good luck, you'll need it.
- riceroni

there's a difference between saying a team is amazing and saying they don't stand a chance against a team that they finished 11 point ahead of.

as for the bolded... you make no logical sense. you say Montreal doesn't stand a chance, yet you're also playing the underdog card. which is it? it can't be both.

MGD.....wow, not only to you watch a hockey game on CBC but you drink MGD. Desperate times.
- willey101

What's wrong with MGD?!

And don't tell me coors is better!

I used to watch all my games on rds but I was hit by the blackout and bought center ice. But seriously MGD is a good beer.

Offence to Ottawa.
Defence to Mtl.
Goaltending close if Hammond keep the pace but i think it's the ?? for Sens. Let's say edge to Mtl right now.
Special teams. They both suck. Even.
5 on 5. Even if Pacioretty healthy.
Coaching... Who knows but experience definately goes to Therrien.

Intangibles:
Playoffs experience to Mtl.
Momentum to Ottawa.
Games between the two teams : Ottawa

Wrap up:

Globally , i give the edge to Mtl but intangibles are on Ott's side.

If Hammond continue his play, it will be tough for Mtl to produce sustained offence, even if Pacioretty plays. But i think he will downgrade is efficiency during the first 2 games and OTT will turn to Anderson for game 3.

My uneducated guess??

Mtl wins first 3 games to win in 5 games if Hammond returns to normal status. But if he is still solid, i say Ott in 6.
- soad_live

pretty much agree...... it's going to be an interesting series for our house.... my boy is a true HABS fan and wears his colurs proudly ..... the rest of us are Sens fans .... so it's 4 on 1......

GO SENS GO

if what hammond has done means squat, then why does what price has done mean anything?
- sensarmy_11

Price gets the benefit of the doubt based on 400 career games. Hammond doesn't because he's played 25.

Goalie - Edge Montreal +4
Defense - Edge Ottawa +2
Offense - Edge Ottawa +1
PP - Edge Montreal +1
PK - Edge Montreal +1
Coaching - Edge Montreal +1
Size - Ottawa +1
Speed - Even
Discipline - Even
Depth - Ottawa +2

Pressure + expectation - Edge Ottawa +2
Intangibles - Ottawa +2

Hockey Gods - Ottawa +5


By my calculations Ottawa is up by +8.

Sens win Wednesday - win series in 6
- tuna99

What the hell are you talking about with +1, +4, seriously what is that?

And why is everyone saying Ottawa has a better D? A Subban-Markov duo is better than Methot-Karlsson, Petry is better than Ceci or Weicoch or whomever else would be considered a 3rd. And look at the goals for and against. Habs were the best team in the NHL 5 on 5.

Regardless through this all out the window. Sens were the best team in NHL down the strecth. hammond's numbers were sick, price's numbers were sick. Subban and Karlsson are so damn close......

Basically everyone here is just going on BIAS. My team is better because, no my team is better beacuse......it's the playoffs. Anything can happen and the better team doesn't always win.

Hammond equal to Price? Really? Homer much?

Let's see how hot Hammond is when he steps into a rabid Bell center on opening night. I don't doubt he is a good goalie right now but the playoffs are a whole different animal.

As far as this ridiculous mentality amond hab fans that we should "fear" the Sens, I say BRING IT ON!. The Habs will elevate their game a few notches while the Sens have been in playoff mode for at least a month and a half. There is a very real possibility they hit a wall.

Oh and I don't think the Habs forgot 2 years ago, I'm sure they're just itching to jam some crow down Sens nation's mouth.

Habs in 5
- habfanforever

I hope someone reminds #81 to keep his head up!!

What's wrong with MGD?!

And don't tell me coors is better!

I used to watch all my games on rds but I was hit by the blackout and bought center ice. But seriously MGD is a good beer.
- SmielmaN

I won't lower myself to MGD or Coors. Actually cannot stand North American beer. I prefer Guinness or Belgium.

Montreal will rout them in game 1...then sens take the series in 6.

I don't honestly see that breaking this series down is going to generate an accurate assessment.

Ottawa plays Montreal HARD. Ottawa has all of the momentum right now. Hammond beat Montreal twice, and one of those wins was a head to head against Price. Ottawa also thoroughly outplayed and beat Montreal in Anderson's January start.

Anything that happened before January doesn't matter at this point. Montreal isn't the team that they were in the first half, and neither is Ottawa. These teams are what they were coming down the stretch. Ottawa is red hot, and Montreal hasn't been playing well.

Is there a possibility that the wheels fall off from the Senators? Yup, but that's really unlikely. Is it a possibility that Montreal is going to all of a sudden flick a switch and become a playoff juggernaut? Yes, but equally unlikely, especially considering that Pacioretty almost certainly has a concussion.

I just can't envision a scenario where the Senators don't come in and blow the doors off of the Bell Centre. Like it or not Habs fans, Ottawa seems to have your number, the same way that Toronto has theirs.

Senators in 5 with 3 road wins.

Price gets the benefit of the doubt based on 400 career games. Hammond doesn't because he's played 25.
- DoubleDown

sure, and if we were about to play an 82 game season.....i'd totally get what you're saying.

in a 7 game series, a hot goalie makes all the difference in the world. look what the habs did with halak a few years ago, he won 2 rounds all by himself against far better teams.

right now, hammond is the hottest goaltender in the NHL, and has been playing do or die hockey for 2 months. the pressure won't be any different.........the guy basically played 2 months with a million cameras shoved in his face and was told that if he lost a single game, the season was over.

is price the better goalie.....ABSOLUTELY.

is hammond, with the run he's on, capable of outplaying him..............ABSOLUTELY

Offence to Ottawa.
Defence to Mtl.
Goaltending close if Hammond keep the pace but i think it's the ?? for Sens. Let's say edge to Mtl right now.
Special teams. They both suck. Even.
5 on 5. Even if Pacioretty healthy.
Coaching... Who knows but experience definately goes to Therrien.

Intangibles:
Playoffs experience to Mtl.
Momentum to Ottawa.
Games between the two teams : Ottawa

Wrap up:

Globally , i give the edge to Mtl but intangibles are on Ott's side.

If Hammond continue his play, it will be tough for Mtl to produce sustained offence, even if Pacioretty plays. But i think he will downgrade is efficiency during the first 2 games and OTT will turn to Anderson for game 3.

My uneducated guess??

Mtl wins first 3 games to win in 5 games if Hammond returns to normal status. But if he is still solid, i say Ott in 6.
- soad_live

I agree with basically everything you've said here.

For me the only changes are:
Goaltending: Huge advantage Montreal. Hammond has been on one heck of a run here, but Price has been there before and he's been one of the best in the NHL for years now. Hammond still has something to prove.

Coaching: Huge advantage Ottawa. Cameron turned this team around. 21-4-4 to finish the season. This team is the definition of a 'team' right now and that starts with coaching. If Cameron was coaching all year, he would be the runaway winner of the Jack Adams. Therrien is a good coach too. I'm not trying to take anything away from him, but I don't think anyone can say that Cameron hasn't had a HUGE impact on this Sens team.

What the hell are you talking about with +1, +4, seriously what is that?

And why is everyone saying Ottawa has a better D? A Subban-Markov duo is better than Methot-Karlsson, Petry is better than Ceci or Weicoch or whomever else would be considered a 3rd. And look at the goals for and against. Habs were the best team in the NHL 5 on 5.

Regardless through this all out the window. Sens were the best team in NHL down the strecth. hammond's numbers were sick, price's numbers were sick. Subban and Karlsson are so damn close......

Basically everyone here is just going on BIAS. My team is better because, no my team is better beacuse......it's the playoffs. Anything can happen and the better team doesn't always win.
- willey101

when this series is over you will know that Karlsson paired with Methot is the best D pairing in the NHL and it will be for the next 5 years.

I won't lower myself to MGD or Coors. Actually cannot stand North American beer. I prefer Guinness or Belgium.
- willey101

good man.

german's also make some awesome beer. bitburger, warsteiner (spelling might be a bit off)

Price gets the benefit of the doubt based on 400 career games. Hammond doesn't because he's played 25.
- DoubleDown

No goaltender with minimum experience could lead his team to victory in the Stanley Cup. That is a rule that cannot be violated.

This is a huge stage for the coming out of Kaptain Karlsson. Last week Brian Murray said Karllson has become a "wonderful" captain. I believe Karlsson is the best player in the NHL. I have said it many times before. The team that has the best player often wins the Stanley Cup.

I think the hardest challenge for the Sens is getting past the 2nd best player in the league. I could see the Sens having a deep run if they can get passed Price. But, Price is the player that can stop them cold.
- spatso

I don't know if he is better then Toewes - he doesn't have the hardware yet to prove that, check with me in 16 wins and let's see if he deserves top billing or is still only in the top 3

sure, and if we were about to play an 82 game season.....i'd totally get what you're saying.

in a 7 game series, a hot goalie makes all the difference in the world. look what the habs did with halak a few years ago, he won 2 rounds all by himself against far better teams.

right now, hammond is the hottest goaltender in the NHL, and has been playing do or die hockey for 2 months. the pressure won't be any different.........the guy basically played 2 months with a million cameras shoved in his face and was told that if he lost a single game, the season was over.

is price the better goalie.....ABSOLUTELY.

is hammond, with the run he's on, capable of outplaying him..............ABSOLUTELY
- sensarmy_11

can't argue with anything you say really. but for me what it comes down to is, right now, going into an NHL playoff series, who do you take: Carey Price or Andrew Hammond?

well I hope you guys take this series..I hate both teams but the wife is a Habs fan and I never hear the end of it when they win..the less I have to hear the better!!..

when this series is over you will know that Karlsson paired with Methot is the best D pairing in the NHL and it will be for the next 5 years.
- tuna99

Best D pairing in the NHL? I think Nashville would have a pretty good argument there With Josi and Weber. And if Chicago paired Keith and Seabrook back together.

Neither of our teams have the best duo in the NHL. Top 3 maybe.

Let me add a +2 to that.....only because I have no idea what a + has to do with anything here.

when this series is over you will know that Karlsson paired with Methot is the best D pairing in the NHL and it will be for the next 5 years.
- tuna99

just stop man.......

karlsson is easily a top 3-5 d-man in the league.................but him and methot are not the best d-paring in the league.

keith-seabrook
weber-josi
giordano-brodie
suter-spurgeon
staal-mcdonough
pietrangelo-bouwmeester

all those pairings are atleast as good, and some are better. methot has chemistry with karlsson, no doubt, but he's not a top-pairing d-man with most teams.

there's a difference between saying a team is amazing and saying they don't stand a chance against a team that they finished 11 point ahead of.

as for the bolded... you make no logical sense. you say Montreal doesn't stand a chance, yet you're also playing the underdog card. which is it? it can't be both.
- DoubleDown

I do make sense actually.

Montreal finished 1st in the division and they are playing the 7th team overall. They are 'supposed' to win the series. But history is on Ottawa's side and the Sens are young and playing loose. Montreal has been playing underwhelming the past few months. They are the ones that need to raise their levels. Ottawa is already there. The pressure is all on you. Sorry but you can deflect all you want. We will beat you and your season will be a failure.