2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators

This series has been the most entertaining playoff match up off the ice in my opinion, I might also argue the most entertaining on ice as well, just not in the meaning of good hockey games. I'm watching the Penguins & Islanders series when these teams play but I look forward to seeing the highlights and occasionally checking into the game during breaks. Senators coach Paul MacLean is now one of my favorite coaches after this series the way he talks about the Canadiens players by using number rather than names"Player 61"is just tremendous and the subsequent outrage by the Canadiens equally so, that's why the playoffs are so fun.

The actual play of the series hasn't been as entertaining from what I can tell, as Ottawa holds a 3-1 series lead heading into game 5 tonight. You could argue the Canadiens were heading into the playoffs at the wrong time, what with gave just a solid and surprising season after finishing at the bottom of the standing last year. This year they hit a rough patch a few weeks before playoffs started and Carey Price hasn't been playing well and now is injured and out for game 5, they were hoping they could turn it around to start the playoffs hasn't really worked out for them.  It has worked for the Senators however, who suffered some big injuries during the season and then getting a huge boost by getting star defenseman Erik Karlsson back right before the playoffs. Factoring the teams situations heading into the playoffs it's not really a surprise the Seanators have the lead and look to move onto round 2.

For this match up, Hockey Artist and Canadiens fan Wade submitted another one of his digital paintings of Montreal Canadiens Alex Galchenyuk you can follow him on his twitter handle @DarthAlexander9. The other is my artwork of Ottawa's goaltender Craig Anderson.

Alex Galchenyuk

Craig Anderson