The physical play of the Canadiens’ Ryan White (right) impacted Montreal’s win. (Minas Panagiotakis/Icon SMI)

By Brian Cazeneuve

With emotions running high after the devastating Game 1 hit by Ottawa’s Eric Gryba that drew a suspension for putting Montreal forward Lars Eller in the hospital, the Canadiens responded verbally and on the ice.

Here are some key moments and observations from tonight’s contentious Game 2, which the Habs won 3-1 to even the series at 1-1:

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By Allan Muir

Pretty much everyone who saw Lars Eller lying face down in a pool of his own blood on Thursday night was horrified by the results of Eric Gryba’s devastating open ice hit. But there weren’t many, outside of Montreal loyalists who looked at that collision and thought it was the sort of play that needed to be eliminated from the NHL.

Apparently that number swelled by at least one today as the Ottawa defender was handed a two-game suspension by Brendan Shanahan for what he called an “illegal check to the head of Eller.”

No doubt this was a tough call for the NHL’s chief disciplinarian. Arguably the toughest he’d faced all season. Despite the injury suffered by Eller, there was no black or white in this incident. Watch the replay a dozen times and you won’t see incontrovertible proof of Eller’s head being the primary point of contact – -or of an innocent hit gone awry — unless that’s exactly what you’re looking to see.

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Coach Paul MacLean’s honesty about the devastating hit on Lars Eller didn’t sit well with the Canadiens. (Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

If you thought the Montreal Canadiens might let bygones be bygones a day after watching bloodied teammate Lars Eller wheeled off the ice in Game 1, you’re about to have your faith in humanity shaken.

The Habs didn’t like Eric Gryba’s hit that sent Eller to the hospital. And they didn’t like the postgame thoughts offered up by Ottawa Senators coach Paul MacLean any better.

MacLean aroused Montreal winger Brandon Prust’s ire by suggesting that Raphael Diaz, the Habs defenseman whose suicide pass left Eller open to the hit, was to blame for the play, not Gryba.

“[If I’m Eller], I’m really mad at [Diaz], whoever he is, because he passed me the puck in the middle of the rink when I wasn’t looking,” said MacLean. “That’s always been a dangerous place as far as I know. Ever since I’ve been playing this game, that’s a dangerous place to be — bad things happen.

“I think it’s a hockey play that ended up going badly for Lars Eller.”

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Ottawa’s Eric Gryba faces a hearing for sending Lars Eller off the ice on a stretcher. (Minas Panagiotakis/Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

An annotated guide to this morning’s must-read hockey stories:

• Canada’s Sun newspaper chain has never been a paragon of journalistic virtues, but this is an execrable decision. Shame on them.

• Sean Gordon looks at the two sides of the frightening hit on Lars Eller.

• Fascinating how many former players jumped on Twitter to pin the blame for the play on Montreal defender Raphael Diaz. I like the way Witt put it best.

• Allan Maki wonders why the NHL doesn’t take out the guesswork and make every incident of head contact illegal. Think you’ll find this concept gaining steam in the media over the next few days, but I don’t see it catching on with the league. The speed of the game conspires with uniquely sized players to make some head contact inevitable. There has to be some room for interpretation, backed up with a greater awareness of safety among players.

• Hard not to focus on Eller and his health after this one, but the Habs have to ask themselves how they failed to put this one away in a second period where they outshot the Senators 27-7.

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Ottawa’s Craig Anderson had 48 saves in the Senators’ win over Montreal. (Minas Panagiotakis/Icon SMI)

By Brian Cazeneuve

The Ottawa Senators came out strong in Game 1 of their playoff series against the Canadiens, getting a 4-2 win in Montreal to take a 1-0 series lead. Here’s a breakdown of some major moments from the opening game.

• Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson made a fabulous play to slice through the Montreal defense and produce the first goal of the game. Last season’s Norris Trophy winner always looks like he’s just gliding along, not really pushing the play up the ice as fast as he is. It doesn’t matter how many times opponents have seen it or how many of them know it’s coming; everybody seems to underestimate Karlsson’s speed. By the time he had shifted his stride from his own end of the ice and into the neutral zone, it was already too late for the chasing Canadiens to close the gap on him. Karlsson split the space between Brian Gionta and Tomas Plekanec and then skipped the puck to Kyle Turris on his left side – it looked more like a lost puck than a pass, but who’s counting – and then took a return feed from Turris and tipped it behind Carey Price. How many times this season and last has Karlsson split forecheckers and defenses who misjudge his speed?

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Alex Ovechkin showcased his star power with a hat trick on Saturday afternoon. [Mark Goldman/Icon SMI]

A super-sized weekend edition guide to this morning’s must-read hockey stories:

• SI.com’s own Adrian Dater reports the NHL and NHLPA are studying reports of Ambien abuse among the league’s sleep-deprived players. Abuse of the drug was linked to the death of enforcer Derek Boogaard.

• Here are the Sunday columns from Michael Russo, Bruce Garrioch, Mike Zeisberger and Steve Simmons.

• The daughter of Buffalo owner Terry Pegula says the Sabres are really bad. Dad must have been thrilled.

• Brad Richards has lost his swagger in New York, and while there’s still time to salvage his season, Larry Brooks wonders if the highly-compensated center might be a candidate for a contract buyout this summer. Seems crazy on the surface, but with the cap going down and Richards not living up to his deal, it’s probably been discussed.

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