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OTTAWA -- An eventful morning here at the Canadian Tire Centre in Canada’s capital ahead of Game 3 between the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators, with the Hamburglar cooked: 1. Panic move? Or perhaps the right move? No one can answer those questions until we see what happens Sunday night, but certainly gutsy that Senators head coach Dave Cameron has benched Andrew Hammond in favor of veteran Craig Anderson. "Coach's decision. No more than that. He’s a pretty good goaltender," Cameron said. "Craig Anderson is a real good NHL goalie," Cameron latter added. "I thought my team, top to bottom, could have played better. The fact that your other goalie is a proven NHL goalie comes into the decision." Anderson injured his hand Jan. 21 and has played only four games since, all in March, going 1-2-1 and allowing 14 goals in those games. But clearly the Senators' coaching staff feels that Hammond wasn't quite up to snuff in stopping 74 of 81 shots in the opening two playoff games. On the one hand, that's a lot of saves on a lot of shots. But you can argue he also allowed at least one questionable goal in each game, and certainly the OT winner Friday night. And if you're going to make this kind of change, it must be now, not after you fall 3-0 down in a series.
So, timing-wise, it makes sense. But it's still a gamble on a couple of fronts: Anderson has barely played since January and the players in the room know that Hammond is the guy who was the foundation behind the crazy 21-3-3 run that got them into the playoffs. Having said that, Anderson is obviously the guy with a more polished NHL pedigree, not to mention his terrific performance in upsetting Montreal two years ago in the opening round. Those memories can serve Anderson well now. "That's pretty much what you can use it for -- just replay the memories in your head and give yourself some of that confidence boost," Anderson said after Sunday's skate. "But at the same time, you have to go out there and focus on the next shot. If you're worried about the past, you're not worried about the present. And right now the present is what's important." The Habs were also asked about the move to Anderson and his success against them two years ago. "It's the playoffs -- I expect everyone on their team to feel confident coming into a hockey game like this," Habs blueliner P.K. Subban said Sunday morning. "We expect their best game of the year tonight." Where is Anderson's head at? Goalies are ultracompetitive, and even though it certainly appears that both goalies have supported each other well, it can't be easy for an established starter such as Anderson to have sat mostly for two months. "Hammond came in here and did a wonderful job," said Anderson. "He got us to where we are right now. That's a credit to him and a credit to the guys in the room. For myself, I was battling back trying to get back from injury and trying to get myself back to a point where I felt good on the ice. As far as my mental aspect on it, I was ecstatic that we were able to win games. Because of what he did, I'm in the situation now talking to you guys. I actually owe him a thank you and a pat on the back." Give Hammond a lot of credit. Many goalies in his position that could have skipped media interviews but he showed class Sunday morning in talking extensively with reporters. He said Cameron told him of the decision Sunday morning. "I fully support the team's decision," Hammond said. "It's too crucial of a juncture in the season to not have everyone pulling on the same rope. I support everything that's being done right now." Disappointing? Of course. But he gets it. "There's no point in getting frustrated right now, it's not going to help anything," said Hammond. "All I can do is rally with the team and most importantly we need a win tonight. I'm going to do whatever I can to help the team get that win tonight." Asked whether he felt he did everything he could in Games 1-2, Hammond swallowed hard. "That's a difficult question for me to answer," he said. "You play the game as hard as you can, and ultimately the results are what they are. That's the past now. All we can do is look forward." 2. Oh, and there was another lineup change for Ottawa. Rugged veteran winger Chris Neil replaced Alex Chiasson on the fourth line. Neil hasn't played since Feb. 14 after breaking his thumb on his left hand. He's been champing at the bit to get back in. "I feel good, from the rehab part, I'm ready for this moment. All those bag skates have paid off," said Neil. It's no secret he's looking to throw his weight around on the team's fourth line, make the Habs feel his presence. "Just try to make the smart play, the easy play, making sure I'm getting pucks behind their D so I can go and forecheck on them," said Neil. "Talk to my linemates and make sure they're keeping it simple as well. It's the dirty goals that go in at this time of year." 3. Mark Stone gutted it out in Game 2 with his right hand/wrist frozen and wearing a device on it. He didn't register a shot on goal but picked up two assists and played well through the pain. Actually, it's after the game when the hand thaws that the pain really got worse. "That train ride home was not the funnest; pretty painful on the way home," Stone said Sunday morning. "But during the game I was fine. It aches and pains a little bit after the game. It's just movements you normally don't do if it wasn't frozen. But it’s all good." Stone was seen wiggling his right hand after shooting pucks in warm-ups before Game 2, which he says is about wearing the device. "Yeah, I mean I've never done it before, so it's just getting used to it," said Stone. "I think I'll be better today with it. It's getting better, the movement is getting better. It's just one of those things where it has to heal." Projected lineups:
Canadiens
Alex Galchenyuk-Tomas Plekanec-Brendan Gallagher
Max Pacioretty-David Desharnais-Devante Smith-Pelly
Jacob De La Rose – Lars Eller – Dale Weise
Brandon Prust – Torrey Mitchell – Brian Flynn
Andrei Markov – P.K. Subban
Alexei Emelin – Jeff Petry
Nathan Beaulieu – Tom Gilbert
Carey Price
Dustin Tokarski
Senators
Clarke MacArthur – Kyle Turris – Mark Stone
Milan Michalek – Mika Zibanejad - Bobby Ryan
Erik Condra – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Curtis Lazar
Mike Hoffman – David Legwand – Chris Neil
Marc Methot – Erik Karlsson
Patrick Wiercioch – Cody Ceci
Mark Borowiecki – Eric Gryba
Craig Anderson
Andrew Hammond
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