Laideees and gentlemen – we interrupt Anaheim’s procession to the Stanley Cup to bring you an actual competitive series.

It had been mentioned in this blog after Game 2 that Ottawa needed to match up their lines better, and had to use their speed to break through Anaheim’s forecheck. In Game 3, the Senators were able to accomplish both of those things on their way to a 5-3 victory.

It didn’t come easy for them, though – especially with Ray Emery somewhat reverting to his Game 1 form. He lost his stick for Anaheim’s opening goal, allowing Andy McDonald to beat him. For Corey Perry’s goal, he had dropped to his knees far too early. Not only that, but even dropping down he was still beaten through the five-hole. On Anaheim’s third goal, his save on Dustin Penner left a juicy rebound out in the slot that Ryan Getzlaf couldn’t fail to put away.

Despite Anaheim taking the lead three times, Ottawa fought back each time to tie the score. Unlike the first two games, the Ducks’ goals were hardly inevitable – a better goal-tender could definitely have shut them out.  Instead, it was the Senators who controlled much of the offensive play, spurred on by their red-clad, extremely vocal fans. The Senators won most of the individual battles and scrums along the boards, and were finally able to pierce the defences of Anaheim goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

Surprisingly, the Senators were able to rack up their goals without resorting to their big line. Daniel Alfredsson did tie the score at 3-3 (albeit only after a long video review, as it actually should have been called back due to a distinct kicking motion directing the puck into the net), but other than that the big line was shut down completely once again.

The Senators' other heroes included checking forward Chris Neil, whose goal tied the score at 1-1 and proved to be psychologically important to get his team back into the game – and the series. The goal to tie it at 2-2 was perhaps as bizarre as any in NHL history. The Ducks had only four players on the ice, allowing Mike Fisher’s blast the room it needed to sneak past Giguere. It is indicative of the lack of focus and discipline that Anaheim exhibited in Game 3 as opposed to their two wins earlier in the series.

Speaking of indiscipline, star defenceman Chris Pronger could well be suspended by the league for the second time in these play-offs. Ottawa forward Dean McAmmond took a shot on goal, which Giguere turned aside. McAmmond never saw Pronger coming from his blind side, and Pronger connected with an elbow to the head while skating at full speed. It was a nasty and cheap hit that somehow went unpenalized by the referees. While it’s not that surprising that the men in zebra-stripes displayed their typical incompetence, at least the league does have the power to review these incidents after the fact. If it were up to me, Pronger would sit for the rest of the play-offs for deliberately trying to injure an opponent.

While that play went unpenalised, the Ducks did take a series of needless penalties to give the Senators seven power plays in all during the game. That allowed the Senators to seize the momentum, no question about it. Alfredsson’s goal came on the power play to tie it, and McAmmond’s surge to the net resulted in the 4-3 lead that the Senators would never relinquish.

If the Ducks had been lucky to score three in the first two periods, they deserved to fail to find the net in the third. They continued to shoot themselves in the foot with penalties, and the Senators worked hard to maintain the initiative. Anton Volchenkov’s goal eight minutes into the final stanza essentially sealed the deal for the Senators.

Game 4 on Monday night will go a long way towards determining the fate of this series. A Ducks win would deflate the momentum that Ottawa has built from Game 3, and they’d be heading home to possibly clinch in Game 5. If Ottawa win, the series is tied heading back to the west coast. Officially, I’ll predict that there is no way that the Ducks are winning a game in Ottawa’s barn – their fans are doing too good a job of lifting Ottawa’s spirits and quality of play.