PREVIEW GAME #4 EASTERN QUARTERFINAL – Canadiens @ Ottawa (Montreal Leads 3-0) [April 22, 2015]

Preview Game #4 Eastern Quarter-finals

Canadiens vs. Ottawa

Canadian Tire Centre – April 22, 2015- 7:15pm

 

Ahead of the Game–

….The last time the Canadiens started their playoffs with an opening round sweep in consecutive years was 1986 (3-0 vs Boston) 1987 (4-0 vs. Boston).

….Only four teams in Stanley Cup history have come back from 0-3 to win the series; most recently Los Angeles last year vs. San Jose. Also ’42 Leafs; ’75 Islanders and 2010 Flyers.

….Of the 32 times in their history that the Canadiens have held a 3-0 series lead they have completed the 4-game sweep 22 times.

….In Game Four of last season’s first round sweep of Tampa Bay, Max Pacioretty scored from Vanek and Subban on a power play with 43 seconds remaining in regulation time top give the Canadiens a 4-3 win.

 

….Dating back to the regular season, the Canadiens have won six consecutive games. In the last five games they gave up the first goal.

….Six of the Canadiens nine goals in the series have been scored in the second period during which they have outshot Ottawa 52-26.

….In the series, Ottawa has averaged more than 50 hits a game (52.6) to the Canadiens 40.0.

….While the Ottawa hits have been spread out against the Canadiens, no defenseman or forward has paid a bigger price than Brendan Gallagher who has absorbed 15 hits in three games most of them in front of the Ottawa net. Next on the list are all defensemen, which is to be expected. Andrei Markov and Nathan Beaulieu at 11 and Tom Gilbert at 10.

….Rookie Curtis Lazar leads Ottawa in hits with 18 followed by Mark Borowiecki with 17. For the Canadiens – Devante Smith-Pelly with 14; Jeff Petry-12 and Alexei Emelin-11.

….The Canadiens will be without Beaulieu for at least the rest of this series (concussion?/shoulder?). Beaulieu had logged the least ice time of any member of the Canadiens defense through the first three games.

….Greg Pateryn will replace Beaulieu and play in his first playoff game as a professional. All three seasons he played in Hamilton the Bulldogs missed the playoffs. He’ll alongside Tom Gilbert.

….Carey Price has stopped 62 of the last 65 shots. The last time he lost four straight games was in January of 2014. In the second and third periods of the series Price has stopped 63 of 66 shos, a save percentage of .955.

….The Canadiens special teams have been terrible. They are 1 for 13 on the power play (7.7%)and ranked 14^th among the 16 playoff teams. Their penalty killing is ranked 13^th at 70%, 3-for-10.

….With two goals each, Clarke MacArthur and Kyle Turris have scored 2/3rds of Ottawa six goals in the series. MacArthur’s goals have given the Canadiens a 1-0 lead in each of the last two games.

….Erik Karlsson has an assist in each of the three games.

….P.K. Subban has 15 shots on goal in the series. Karlsson has ten. Subban has a goal and two assists.

….Bobby Ryan does not have a point in the series. He hasn’t scored a goal in 15 games registering only 4 assists over that span.

….Overall balance has been the key for the Canadiens. The top six forwards have three goals (Pacioretty, Galchenyuk, Plekanec) and 5 assists in the series. The bottom six have 5 goals (Weise with 2; Mitchell, Flynn, Eller) plus six assists. The other goal was scored by Subban.

….Only three members of the Canadiens who have played in all three games have failed to register a point, Jacob de la Rose, and defensemen Tom Gilbert and Jeff Petry. Gilbert is plus-3 and Petry plus-2. De la Rose is +/- even.

….Confirmed referees – Kelly Sutherland from Richmond B.C. – 15 year veteran – 932 NHL games. & Francois Charron from Ottawa. Five years in the league – 216 career games. Standby is Ghislain Hebert. (Sutherland & Charron worked Monday night’s Pittsburgh/Rangers game together – prior to that Minnesota @ St. Louis on Saturday)

….Only change in the Ottawa lineup – Zack Smith replaces David Legwand on the fourth line.

Ottawa Line Combinations and Pairings

16-Clarke MacArthur 7-Kyle Turris 61-Mark Stone

9-Milan Michalek 91-Mika Zibanejad 6-Bobby Ryan

22-Erik Condra 44-Jean-Gabriel Pageau 27-Curtis Lazar

68-Mike Hoffman 15-Zack Smith 25-Chris Neil

3-Mark Methot 65-Erik Karlsson

46-Patrick Wiercioch 5-Cody Ceci

74-Mark Bororwiecki 62-Eric Gryba

41-Craig Anderson

 

Team Statistical Comparison for Series

	GP	RECORD	HOME	ROAD	G/GP	GA/GP	PP%	PK%	PIM/GP	S/GP	SA/GP	FO%
	3	3-0	2-0	1-0	3.00	2.00	7.7	70.0	15.0	43.3	32.7	49.5
	3	0-3	0-1	0-2	2.00	3.00	30.0	92.3	18.7	32.7	43.3	50.5

Team Regular Season Comparison (League ranking in brackets)

Ottawa		Canadiens
2.83 (9th)	Goals Per Game		2.61 (20th)
2.54 (13th)	Goals Against Per Game		2.24 (1st)
30.96 (9th)	Shots on Goal Per Game		28.46 (25th)
32.13 (25th)	Shots Against Per Game		30.12 (21st))
16.80% (21st)	Power Play %		16.50% (23rd)
82.9% (11th)	Penalty Kill %		83.7% (7th)