Senators Vs Canadiens Game 3 (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly)

It's hard to believe the Montreal Canadiens team that showed up tonight was the same from game two. Listless, heartless, classless are some words that come to mind to describe this what happened tonight. The Canadiens were beaten and beaten up losing 6-1 but that isn't the story of the game.

The Good
Jean-Gabriel Pageau- Players like to make a statement in the playoffs especially rookie players. Tonight he made one. Pageau was a plus three, and scored his first career playoff hattrick. The only thing missing from him tonight was a tooth. His speed his shot his smarts everything was on point for him tonight.

Craig Anderson- It's going to be hard for Montreal to win this series when he plays as well as he did this evening. He makes the stops that he has to. The same cannot be said for his counterpart Carey Price. Montreal peppered him for 34 shots and was only bested once. This is the performance you need from a number one goaltender. It appears that Montreal's four goal output in game two was just a minor deviation from the norm, and won't happen again.

Paul MacLean- He was the epitome of what you want from an NHL head coach. He had the right players on the ice when Montreal looked to get overly physical. He protected his players at the end of the game. Above all else he made the Canadiens look like fools in his post game interview just by using their own actions against them. He could be up for the Jack Adams trophy this season, this game showed that.

The Bad
The Montreal Canadiens- This team was doomed from the start. When PK Subban berated Max Pacioretty for a "F***king suicide pass" you knew down was the only direction this team could go. David Desharnais was along for the ride tonight, other than his 19:01 time on ice stat you would have had no idea he was playing.
Brian Gionta, Max Pacioretty you earned respect points for playing though injury but it's time to swallow your pride and sit. The hockey world appreciates grit and toughness, but your fan and team don't when you're a hinderance to the outcome.

The Ugly
The Line Brawl- Fighting always was and always will be a part of the game. There are people in the world that have a problem with it. This blogger is not one of them. What I do have a problem with is a team instigating one when they have no right to. The series was building to it. Countless scrums, off ice comments, and then a blow out score you knew it was coming. When it came, everyone already knew the result. The Canadiens toughness has been a problem for awhile now. When the gloves were off and the gauntlet was thrown down there was no player that could respond. Players on other teams that fill this role are better than the ones Montreal has. It was a gongshow for Montreal tonight, they should be ashamed.


The Canadiens future in this series- This is the type of game that can destroy a team. When you get beaten in every facet of the game it's hard to recover. From letting in six goals to posting a goose egg in the fighting win department it's hard to find a positive. Michel Therrien did a masterful job regrouping his team for game two. Tuesday night we'll see if he can work his magic again.