Spezza, who has been out with a back injury, has missed most of the regular season but could be getting healthy for the second season and the one that counts the most.  While he didn’t travel with the team to Pittsburgh for game 1, Spezza hasn’t been ruled out as a possibility for game 2 that isn’t scheduled until Friday night at the Igloo.

According to the Ottawa Sun, Spezza stayed behind in Ottawa to skate with Luke Richardson, coach of the Binghamton Senators, the farm team to the NHL Senators.

As head coach Paul MacLean points out, this “allowed him to get better skates and will give him a better opportunity to continue to progress.”

Spezza did skate with his teammate over the weekend, leading some to believe that he was closer to a return than many were believing.  MacLean downplayed the hype by saying this was just another step in the rehab process and that he was still “a long ways away.”

Arguably the Senators best player, Spezza has only played in five games this season, registering 2 goals and 3 assists before falling to the injury that required surgery.

After the Sens were easily disposed of at the hands of the Penguins in game one of their best of seven series, having Spezza return to the lineup could give them that much needed boost they need.

Having Spezza return to the lineup will help the Senators chances of pulling off a second straight upset.  Without him the battle will be much steeper and the Senators may not have the offensive force to go toe-to-toe with the high octane Penguins.  Meaning Craig Anderson will need to steal the series and it’s hard to fathom that he could do it all by himself.  But this is the playoffs and anything is possible.  Just ask Jason Spezza.

Apr 4, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals center Brooks Laich (21) lies on the ice after being injured against the New York Islanders in the second period at Verizon Center. The Capitals won 2-1 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s start with an update from the Anaheim Ducks. Toni Lydman is still suffering from headaches and did not participate in practice today. This means he is most likely out of the lineup for tonight’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.

Moving on to the Ottawa Senators who recieved good news today in regards to Jason Spezza. Spezza has moved on to the next stage of rehab. He will be participating more and could possibly be back if the Senators run deep into the playoffs. He will most likely not be back during the first round.

Brooks Laich of the Washington Capitals skated for the first time today sing he underwent surgery for a sports hernia in April. Even though he was skating today there is still no timeline on his possible return.

Ray Emery and Dave Bolland will not likely be suiting up for the Chicago Blackhawks tomorrow night in their game against the Minnesota Wild. Bolland should return during the playoffs provided the Wild don’t comeback from being down 3-1.

Ryane Clowe could be in the New York Rangers line up tonight. We will not know for sure until right before game-time.

For the latest injury news follow us on twitter (@TMMotS)

Montreal Canadiens – regular season record 29-14-5. Good for 63 points and the second seed in the east.

The Habs finished dead last in the eastern conference last season and as a result the expectations for this season were to improve and possibly compete for a playoff spot.  No one outside the organization saw the Canadiens winning the Northeast division and now they have home ice advantage for at least the first two rounds.

They’ve played consistent hockey all season long and are scoring by committee.  Their goaltending that was at one point a year ago a cause for concern has been the best it’s been in recent memory.  Carey Price is the clear number one goalie in Montreal despite not convincing all the critics given his year where he posted a 21-13-4 record with a 2.59 GAA and a .905 save percentage.  Decent numbers but not great and he’ll need to be great to help this team make a deep playoff run.

Keys to the Habs success:

Some might say that Price is the key to the Canadiens success in the first round against Ottawa and while he certainly will be an integral part, the more important key is defenseman P.K. Subban.

Subban is playing the best hockey of his young career and he must carry that over into the playoffs. Considered to be a favorite to win the Norris Trophy for top defenseman in the league, Subban excelled after a lengthy contract hold out to score 11 goals and add 27 assists for 38 points in 42 games.  He is the spoke to the Habs wheel and whether it be on the power play or five-on-five, Subban’s play will be critical in defining the Canadiens success in this series.

Ottawa Senators – regular season record 25-17-6. Good for 56 points and seventh place in the east.

Anybody that truly follows the game of hockey knows what type of season the Senators had this year; an injury plagued one.  Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson and Craig Anderson are three of the team’s most valuable players and all missed an extended period of time this year to serious injury.  Other role players like Milan Michalek also battled to stay healthy and as a result it left a depleted Senators lineup that many thought would crumble from their early season success and miss the playoffs.

But this team defied the odds and here they are playing in the second season.  They are the most dangerous team to pull off an upset this year and here’s the key to their success:

Keys to the Senators success:

Simply put, it falls on one player – Craig Anderson.  He will have to steal a game or two in Montreal in front a rowdy french Canadian crowd that feeds off the success of their hockey team. Anderson and the Sens will have to weather the storm in game one for the first ten minutes and if he can keep it close than I like Ottawa in the opener.

Series Prediction:

I’m taking the Ottawa Senators to upset the Montreal Canadiens in six games in this series.  A healthy Sens group that plays “pesky” hockey is a dangerous bunch already an now throw on the underdog role and this team is a great pick as a sleeper.