My Habs could have done better...

than 15 shots and no goals in a crucial Game 3 at Scotiabank Place last night, wherein Scotiabankers cheered at great length.

Once the clock at the rejuvenated Scotiabank Place adamantly flashed 0.0, the home team, yes, those Ottawa Senators, the same team that just three and a half months earlier was struggling to hold onto a playoff spot, had just taken a three games to none lead in the Eastern Conference final over the best team in the National Hockey League.

And they should be feeling very proud of themselves.

They held the highest scoring team in the regular season to just 15 shots on their goaltender, the unflappable Ray Emery.
What makes this all more intriguing, is that the Buffalo Sabres played pathetic hockey last night, totally emotionless and passionless, as if they didn't realize they could be heading back home in a 3-0 hole.
How do you play like total crap during the most important time of the hockey year?
HELLO?! These are the STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS and you just got shutout and had 15 shots and are down 3-0.

Hat tip to the Ottawa Senators, who more than doubled the Sabres shot total last night and managed to squeak one past a depleted Ryan Miller, who was the only player on the ice last night for, I think, a Buffalo Sabres playoff team.

By God Daniel, Jason, Jochen, Chris, Dainius, Tim, Toni, Dmitri, Brian, Maxim, Adam, Paul, Henrik, Jaroslav, Teppo, Thomas, Ales and Derek, where the heck were you last night?
Out drinking a beer? Or thinking about the pretty party girls you were anxious to meet after the game at some strip joint?

Pfft, when all's said and done, the Ottawa Senators deserved this victory, and the way the Sabres (I won't even used the word ''played'') ''performed'' last night, I think it's safe to assume even my golf-driven Montreal Canadiens team could have managed more than 15 measly weak shots on Ray Emery.

Congrats to the Sens again, Bryan Murray's doing an awesome job behind the bench, Daniel Alfredsson's playing some of the best hockey I've ever seen him play, Ray Emery's getting it done (I can't really say it was a difficulty earned shutout last night, 15 shots is nothing) in goal, the pointmen are playing sound defensive hockey, such as Anton Volchenkov, the hearty Chris Phillips and Tom Preissing; while some offensive-minded studs like Joe Corvo, Wade Redden and Andrej Mezaros are really helping out guys like Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and Mike Comrie on the attack.

I also tip my hat to Mike Fischer, Christoph Schubert, Peter Schaefer and Antoine Vermette for their terrific two-way play.

I'm now going for the Senators, my mind has been made up, sorry Sabres, even my Habs can do better than a 15-shot performance.

GO SENS GO!

--BBR