Jason Spezza’s recovery from back surgery means he’s not likely to return unless the Senators can make a playoff run.
The Sens-Habs series is a chance to dust off what was once a playoff rivalry and take it to new heights.
Paul MacLean did such a good job of coaching the Ottawa Senators in his first year behind the bench that it wasn’t always going to be tough to top in Year 2. He managed to do it.
The richness of the Hub sports scene also has its complications. Such was the case on Sunday when the Bruins played a makeup game against the Senators in the evening, just a few hours after the NBA Celtics and New York Knicks played an overtime playoff game on the same TD Garden surface.
The Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens meet in Round 1.
Erik Karlsson looked like he hadn’t missed any time at all in his return from Achilles tendon surgery on Thursday night.