The three-game sweep starts in Toronto where the Maple Leafs, with nothing to play for, downed the Ottawa Senators, 3-2, in a shootout.
The Senators picked up a point in their chase of the playoffs but left one behind.
“You can’t leave points on the board at this time of year,” said Ottawa forward Mark Stone. “We weren’t good in the first period; that’s all there is to it. We were able to find ways to come back all night, but at the end of the day we had chances to win and just weren’t able to capitalize. At the end of the days these guys are much further down the standings than us and we need those points more than they do. For us to lose that one is a costly lost point.”
Andrew Hammond had 36 saves in the loss and is 17-1-2 since coming up to the NHL.
“I don’t think we had our legs in the first period and it showed on the shot clock,” said Hammond, referring to the fact the Maple Leafs out-shot the Senators 21-12 in the opening 20 minutes. “By the time we got our legs under us, it was a 40-minute game and we weren’t able to win in regulation. I don’t think we were all that sharp. It looked like we were a little tired.”
The Sens trail the final spot by two points and have three games left on their schedule.
“We have three games left and if we aren’t willing to go all out and use all our energy now we’re going to have a lot of regret this summer,” Hammond said. “They are all must-win games now.”
In Sunrise, the Montreal Canadiens broke out of a funk and defeated the Panthers, 4-1. But the Habs were more concerned for the loss of Max Pacioretty, who was hit into the boards early the first, left the game and did not return.
Carey Price picked up 42nd win in Sunrise – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
“He’s a big part of our team, a guy we’ve relied on all year long,” said forward Brendan Gallagher, who scored in the second period to give Montreal a 2-1 lead. “That said, that’s sports; guys go down. It’s an opportunity for guys to step up, and I thought we did a good job of that tonight. Balanced scoring throughout the board and obviously happy to see [Smith-Pelly] get his first one with us.”
Carey Price picked up his 42nd win of the season and made 24 saves in doing so.
“We weren’t very good tonight,” Panthers coach Gerard Gallant said. “We checked out. I wasn’t happy with the performance. I didn’t like our effort. I always talk about finishing hard, but we didn’t finish hard tonight.”
Devante Smith-Pelly scored his first goal for Montreal since coming over from the Anaheim Ducks.
“It felt good,” he said. “It’s a big relief, so hopefully it snowballs in the right direction.
“Anytime you’re able to contribute, it’s special. I’m just happy we came out with a big win. I don’t really focus on my personal stats that much. I’m more focused on doing what the coaches ask me and do what I need to do to help the team win.”
In Chicago, the St Louis Blues got 36 saves from Jake Allen and moved into first place in the Central Division with a 2-1 win over the Blackhawks.
“We played extremely hard,” said Allen, who made 27 saves in the game’s final 40 minutes. “[We] just kept plugging away, plugging away. We got two greasy goals, and I think that’s going to be the way we need to score. We’re going to obviously get some nice goals, but we have a team that mucks and grinds and finds those ways to put the puck in the net.”
David Backes picked up a goal in win over Chicago – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
David Backes and Olli Jokinen scored for the Blues in a hard-hitting affair.
“This was a very demanding, physical game for both teams, and both teams looked a little bit spent in the third period because it took so much out of us,” Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. “But this is the way we’re going to have to win games.”
Kris Versteeg scored the lone for Chicago in the first when the Hawks had a 1-0 lead.
“The part I liked the best was that when we got the lead, we managed the game,” Hitchcock said. “We didn’t sit back. We managed the game the right way. If you’re going to win in the playoffs, you’re going to have to play long minutes with a lead or tied and put good quality minutes in, and that’s what I was happiest about.”
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