As the seconds ticked off the clock in the last minute of last night’s game, I turned to my friend at the bar and said, “This is one of the best Senators games that I’ve seen in quite some time.”

While the game summary accounts for the Senators and Habs combining for a whopping 236 PIMs, 7 goals, and 7 fights, what it won’t tell you is that the night culminated with the Canadiens collectively losing their minds. (Note: Ottawa’s 107 PIMs last night established a new postseason franchise record. Their previous high was 60 in an April 25^th, 2006 game versus the Tampa Bay Lightning.)

Here's the video of the line brawl that was sparked by Ryan White's two-handed slash across the back of Zack Smith's knee: 

From P.K. Subban chewing out Max Pacioretty for a suicide pass, to the Ryan White two-handed slash, to the Rene Bourque elbow upside Conacher’s dome, to Josh Gorges screaming profanities at Paul MacLean after the latter strategically called a timeout with a minute left in a 6-1 game, to Michel Therrien stewing on the bench, Montreal’s obsession with trying to match Ottawa’s toughness is bordering on ridiculously comical levels.

After the rousing events that took place in the waning minutes of game three of Ottawa's ECQF versus Montreal, it's no shocking development to see Eugene Melnyk make another appearance on the Fan 590's Prime Time Sports.

Below is a transcript of what was said, and if you want to listen to the interview in full you can do so here.

As always, my thoughts will in bold.

With one disturbingly massive hit, Eric Gryba irrevocably changed the complexion of this series.

Much of the buildup heading into last night’s game focused on how this series would do wonders for this Northeast Divisional rivalry, mission accomplished on that end.

The latest has Paul MacLean’s post-game comments on who exactly was to blame (#61), prompting Brandon Prust to respond with a "He has already shown enough disrespect. I'm not going to worry about what that bug-eyed, fat walrus has to say," bomb.

By now, we’ve all certainly seen the hit and heard the various takes on the legality, intent and sheer brutality of Gryba’s hit on Habs forward Lars Eller. Opinions are pooling faster than the blood Eller left on the ice.

Nevertheless, he’s another look at the video…

*turns head, looks at the computer screen with a winced eye*

(2) Montreal Canadiens 29-14-5    vs.    (7) Ottawa Senators 25-17-6

 Game 1: Thursday, May 2, 7pm - Ottawa @ Montreal

Game 2: Friday, May 3, 7pm - Ottawa @ Montreal

Game 3: Sunday, May 5, 7pm - Montreal @ Ottawa

Game 4: Tuesday, May 7, 7pm - Montreal @ Ottawa

Game 5: Thursday, May 9, 7pm - Ottawa @ Montreal*

Game 6: Saturday, May 11, TBD - Montreal @ Ottawa*

Game 7: Sunday, May 12, TBD - Ottawa @ Montreal*

*if necessary

This is the matchup the team, fans, and probably the media wanted. Despite beating Boston at home in game 48 I'm not sure any Senator supporter wanted the Bruins, and another first-round exit at the hands of the Penguins would have been a real lousy way to go out. Both Ottawa and Montreal like to have the puck, and play with skill ie. hockey. Should be a fun series.

After 36 games I had this team them pegged as an "average to below average possession team with elite goaltending". Well things have certainly changed since then. From a team performance perspective at even-strength the final 12 games of the season were by far the Senators strongest, even if the puck stubbornly refused to enter the net, and a 6-6-0 finish had the playoffs in doubt momentarily. How much you want to chalk up their strong play of late to Conacher's arrival, Michalek's return or playing a few bad teams i.e. Florida, Tampa, Philly, etc is up to you. But at the least it's a very positive sign to be playing your best hockey heading into the postseason. A smidgen of puck luck would be greatly appreciated right about now.

The chance totals from games 1-12 can be found here, games 13-24 here, and games 25-36 here.

And this is the scoring chance definition I adhere to when tracking games:

"A scoring chance is defined as a clear play directed toward the opposing net from a dangerous scoring area - loosely defined as the top of the circle in and inside the faceoff dots (nicknamed the Home Plate), though sometimes slightly more generous than that depending on the amount of immediately-preceding puck movement or screens in front of the net. Blocked shots are generally not included but missed shots are. A player is awarded a scoring chance anytime he is on the ice and someone from either team has a chance to score. He is awarded a "chance for" if someone on his team has a chance to score and a "chance against" if the opposing team has a chance to score."

The "home plate" scoring chance area can be seen below.

If you have any questions, or need clarification on anything just stop by in the comments.