It didn't look like it would be an impressive match-up. After all, the 29th place Ottawa were facing the 26th place Panthers. But it soon became a battle of goaltenders: former teammates, both UFAs at the end of the season.



That "Neo" Anderson came out on top is no surprise for the Sens fans. He has been exceptional since arriving in Ottawa. If I hadn't jumped on the Neo nickname early on, one of Anderson's comments to the effect that he could fix any problem betweene the pipes would have earned him the moniker of The Plumber. But in the end, both Anderson and Tomas Vokoun have cemented their desirability at the end of the season.

Kudos to Erik Karlsson for scoring both Ottawa goals. While Karlsson is kinda spotty on defense and gets beaten way too often there (as proven by his dismal +/- numbers), his skills on the offense are undeniable. He has also learned to put the puck on the net and keep it simple. Good things happen when you put the puck on the net.

Kudos also to the penalty killers who had to kill an undeserved five-minute major awarded to Francis Lessard for charging. The charge was the that Lessard came off his feet for his check on Scott Timmins. Bulls**t! That was a good check. I think the powers that be are a little sensitive to the hard checking after the injury suffered by Max Pacioretty at the hands of Zdeno Chara. All bitching aside, the Sens penalty kill squad has successfully killed all penalties since the arrival of Neo Anderson between the pipes.

Another I want to point out is Ryan Shannon who's been really good of late, but never better than last night. Offensively and defensively, he was a presence on the ice. Finally, hats off to Sergei Gonchar for his 500th NHL assist.

On to Tampa Bay.

Neo's numbers


GO SENS GO!!