Tonight at 7 p.m. ET, the Ottawa Senators (43-26-13, 99 points regular season) and Montreal Canadiens (50-22-10, 110 points) face-off for Game 1 of their opening-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series live from the Bell Centre in Montreal.
Ottawa stormed to the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with tremendous play over the second half of the season and they closed out the campaign with three straight victories.
Montreal, meanwhile, was a top team in the NHL all season long and finished with the second highest point total in the conference while clinching the Atlantic Division for the second time in three years. The Canadiens also closed out the season with three straight victories.
The Senators took the season series by winning three of four games, which included the last three meetings between these teams.
This game can be live streamed here.
Montreal is in the playoffs for the third straight year and is looking to build on a trip to the Eastern Conference Final last season while Ottawa is back in the postseason after missing the tournament last year.
Ottawa has a lot to play for emotionally as assistant coach Mark Reeds passed away from cancer Tuesday at age 55.
"We lost a good man [Tuesday]," said general manager Bryan Murray, who himself is battling an incurable cancer, according to NHL.com. "It's supposed to be an exciting time for us, and it will be, but [Tuesday] it's very difficult for all of us that were in contact with Mark on a regular basis and worked with him and realized what a good, young man he was, and certainly passed too early."
On the ice, Ottawa has been paced by Erik Karlsson, who had a team-best 66 points while rookies Mike Hoffman (27) and Mark Stone (26) were first and second on the team in goals, respectively.
The Canadiens are hopeful for another deep run this spring and have a skilled player at every position, but top point-scorer Max Pacioretty (67) is sidelined with an upper-body injury.
P.K. Subban is Montreal's biggest weapon on the blue line as he ranked second on the team with 60 points while the Senators counter with Karlsson on their back end.
Perhaps the most intriguing goaltending matchup will be in between the pipes.
Canadiens goalie Carey Price is a heavy favorite for the Vezina Trophy and could even take home the Hart Trophy as league MVP. Price led the entire NHL with 44 wins, a 1.96 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage while his nine shutouts tied him for second in the league.
The Senators counter with the hottest goalie down the stretch in the NHL in Andrew "The Hamburglar" Hammond. Hammond made his NHL debut on Feb. 18 and eventually became the second goalie in league history to allow two goals or less in the first 12 games of his career.
Hammond is one of the main factors behind the Senators' run as he finished 20-1-2 record with a 1.79 goals-against average, a .920 save percentage and three shutouts this season.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are underway as the puck is set to drop on the Senators and Canadiens live tonight from Bell Centre in Montreal.
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