Winnipeg Free Press Newspaper Archives Apr 25 2015, Page 62

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 25, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE C4 M ONTREAL — Bobby Ryan and Patrick Wiercioch scored in the first period and Craig Anderson made 45 saves as the Ottawa Senators downed the Montreal Canadiens 5- 1 on Friday night to surge back into their first- round NHL playoff series. Montreal still leads the best- of- seven series 3- 2 but the Senators can tie it up on home ice Sunday night. Coming off a 1- 0 win on Wednesday, Ottawa is hoping to become only the fifth team ever to win a series after trailing 3- 0. “ When you’re facing elimination the pressure’s on you and with each game you win, the pressure’s on them,” said Senators head coach Dave Cameron. Erik Karlsson, Erik Condra and Mike Hoffman also scored for Ottawa, which fired 25 shots at Carey Price. Tom Gilbert scored for Montreal. “ It’s definitely a bad feeling right now that we weren’t able to win tonight,” said Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty. “ But it’s not going to help us to think back on it and be upset about the last two games. We have to worry about the future.” Anderson has been a wall in goal since he replaced Andrew Hammond for Game 3 — allowing only three goals on 123 shots in three starts. Among his best saves was a stop on a Tomas Plekanec short- handed breakaway in the second period and a point blank stop on Alex Galchenyuk. The veteran goaltender’s play has been reminiscent of 2013 when he backstopped the Senators to an upset of Montreal in the opening round. “ He has a history of being a real good goalie in crucial games in the playoffs,” said Cameron. “ I don’t know why anyone’s surprised.” “ You have to give their goaltender credit,” said Canadiens defenceman P. K. Subban. “ He made some big saves. We did an OK job of taking his eyes away, but you have to do a great job of that to score in the playoffs, especially against a great goaltender. He’s hot right now, he’s seeing all the pucks and making big saves for them. He’s got the hot hand and he’s riding that.” Montreal’s anaemic power play went 0- for- 3 and is now 1- for- 19 for the series. The Canadiens stormed out and had six early shots, while the Senators didn’t get a shot on Price until the 8: 42 mark. But Ottawa scored on its second attempt, when Ryan fired one through a Mika Zibanejad screen at 9: 29. Wiercioch had time to wait for a screen to form and then picked the top of the net with a shot Price had no way of seeing at 15: 39, giving Ottawa the first two- goal lead by any team in the series. Karlsson scored on a blast from the point on a power play 14: 29 into the second frame to make it 3- 0. The Bell Centre crowd sprang back to life when Gilbert’s shot from against the left boards at the point got through with Dale Weise parked in front of Anderson 1: 44 into the third period. Condra sealed the win, however, when he caused a turnover and went in alone to deke out Price at 14: 02. There was a late skirmish when Anderson poked Brandon Prust near the crease and he was speared in return. Subban and Eric Gryba got 10- minute misconducts for an entertaining wrestling match on the same stoppage of play. Hoffman scored on the ensuing power play at 19: 10. NOTES : Ottawa’s Clarke MacArthur left after the second period with a lower- body injury... The Senators put fourth- liner Alex Chiasson back in after sitting out two games in favour of Chris Neil, who was a healthy scratch... Montreal went with the same lineup as Game 4, so P. A. Parenteau was scratched and Greg Pateryn played in place of injured rearguard Nathan Beaulieu. — The Canadian Press C4 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015 winnipegfreepress. com NHL PLAYOFF REPORT THE hockey season still has some life left in it for three members of the Winnipeg Jets. Goaltenders Ondrej Pavelec ( Czech Republic) and Connor Hellebuyck ( United States) are off to the world championship, which runs May 1 to 17 in Prague and Ostrava in the Czech Republic. In addition, Jets head athletic therapist Rob Milette will join Canada’s staff at the event. Pavelec will be the only NHLer of the three netminders the Czechs have named to their roster, while Hellebuyck, who was added to the American roster last year after his college season, will make his second trip to the Worlds. Two other Jets Czechs — Michael Frolik and Jiri Tlusty — wouldn’t commit because they are impending unrestricted free agents without the security of an NHL contract. “ I will talk to them now and we are back- and- forth, but I don’t have a contract, so it’s a little bit risky for me to go,” said Frolik. “ It’s the same as last year, when I didn’t go. I won’t take the risk, so I’m probably not going.” Blake Wheeler, who suited up for the U. S. at the Olympics, also said he wouldn’t be joining the American side. “ I don’t think so. It’s time for me to be a dad again,” said Wheeler with a smile. “ My real season starts now.” THE DYNAMIC DANE : The Jets parachuted Nik Ehlers in for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup playoffs after his junior season ended with the Halifax Mooseheads. And one of the key questions that will carry through the summer to training camp next fall is this: Can the 19- year- old left- winger crack the NHL roster next year and, if he doesn’t, will he benefit with another year in the QMJHL? “ I think the chances are pretty good ( he could make the big club), but obviously I just want to go out there and do my best, have a good summer and start workouts and be prepared,” said Ehlers on Friday. “ Obviously I want to play here next year, that’s my goal. That’s what I’m going to be working for. I’m going to take my time this summer to focus on working out and doing my thing to be able to make the team here. Right now I’m not focusing on junior, I’m focusing on making the team here next year.” Ehlers, who said there was a chance he could be joining the Danish national team at the worlds next month, will concentrate on getting stronger and packing on pounds this off- season. He’ll return to Europe, first to Switzerland then to Denmark to work out with a trainer there. Then he’ll return to practise with the team his dad, Heinz, coaches, HC Lausanne. “ I’ll try to eat more. Try to work out harder and try to put on some muscle and take it from there,” Ehlers said. “ It was tough this year. I played a lot on the Mooseheads and during the season it was tough for me to put on weight. But I’ve got months now where I can really just focus on working out and putting on some weight.” QUOTABLE : “ We made a lot of good strides this year for sure. Paul ( Maurice) was a big part of that, in kind of changing the culture of this team. From Day 1 to where we are now, it’s a different mindset, a different attitude. We grew pretty close as a team and we’re going to need that moving forward. This team is only going up.” — Jacob Trouba. ed. tait@ freepress. mb. ca Twitter: @ WFPEdTait; tim. campbell@ freepress. mb. ca Twitter@ FPTimCampbell SENATORS 5 CANADIENS 1 WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Winnipeg Jets prospect Nik Ehlers speaks to the media Friday at the MTS Centre. Season not over for goalies Pavelec, Hellebuyck By Ed Tait and Tim Campbell Will play in world championship in Czech Republic GRAHAM HUGHES / THE CANADIAN PRESS Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson stymies the Montreal Canadiens’ Brandon Prust Friday night. NEW YORK — Montreal’s Carey Price, Minnesota’s Devan Dubnyk and Nashville’s Pekka Rinne are the finalists for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie. Price led the NHL in wins ( 44), goals- against average ( 1.96) and save percentage (. 933), becoming the first goalie to top the league in all three categories since Ed Belfour with Chicago in 1990- 91. Price also had a career- high nine shutouts. Dubnyk set a franchise record with 38 straight starts following a trade with Arizona, going 27- 9- 2 with a 1.78 GAA, .936 save percentage and five shutouts for Minnesota. Rinne was 41- 17- 6 in 64 appearances. — The Associated Press Price, Rinne, Dubnyk Vezina finalists Sens don’t need the ‘ Hamburglar’ Anderson kicks out 45 shots as Ottawa pulls closer to Habs By Bill Beacon C_ 04_ Apr- 25- 15_ FP_ 01. indd C4 4/ 24/ 15 10: 37: 27 PM