Senators 5, Canadiens 4: It could be argued that Montreal has already hit the panic button by firing Guy Carbonneau, but if there's another one hidden in the bowels of the Bell Centre, it might be time to press that one, as well.Thanks to their 5-4 loss to Ottawa on Thursday, the Canadiens have now lost four in a row and six of their past eight, as they continue to flirt with the possibility of missing the postseason.
Jason Spezza scored a pair of goals for the recently white-hot Senators, who have now won seven of their past eight games.
Carey Price received the start in goal for Montreal, and quickly found himself on the bench after giving up four goals on just 15 shots. It's been a disappointing season for the second-year netminder, as he's won just two of his past 10 starts.
Panthers 3, Maple Leafs 1: While the Canadiens continued their recent losing ways, the Florida Panthers won for the first time in four games, picking up a 3-1 victory over Toronto. Ville Peltonen, Stephen Weiss and Richard Zednik all scored for Florida, while Tomas Vokoun stopped 37-of-38 shots in net. Florida is now just one point behind Carolina and Montreal for the No. 8 spot in the east.
The Rest Of Thursday's Action
Los Angeles beats Boston, 3-2, in a shootout.
Alex Ovechkin hit a personal milestone in Washington's win in Tampa Bay.
Edmonton beats up on Colorado.
St. Louis continues its road trip in Vancouver.
Anaheim looks to pick up a win in Phoenix
Nashville pays a visit to San Jose
Daily Rebounds
-- Marc Savard talks about his trash-talking encounter with Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and says he's not interested in talking about it.
-- Pierre LeBrun talks about how shootout specialists are like hockey's answer to the left-handed pitchers in baseball. Sure, why not?
-- The New York Islanders signed Tim Jackman to a one-year contract extension.
Friday's Key Games
-- St. Louis completes its west coast road trip with a game in Calgary. The Blues need a win to keep pace in the fight for a playoff spot, while the Flames would probably like to string together back-to-back wins for the first time in over two weeks.
-- The Hurricanes host the Islanders as they look to solidify a possible playoff spot.
-- Buffalo enters Friday's game against Philadelphia having lost four of its past five. It doesn't get much easier on Saturday with a trip to Madison Square Garden.
