Welcome to the latest episode of The Hockey News Wraparound, featuring rapid-fire analysis of the NHL and hockey.

What Role Will The Canadiens Give Ivan Demidov Against Washington? by The Wraparoundundefined

Here's what Emma Lingan and Michael Augello discussed in this episode:

0:00: How strong of a chance do the Montreal Canadiens have of upsetting the Washington Capitals?

4:12: What to make of the Dallas Stars’ injuries heading into their first round series against the Colorado Avalanche

9:04: With Dougie Hamilton returning for the New Jersey Devils, could they have a tight series with the Carolina Hurricanes?

12:09: Have the Winnipeg Jets avoided some internal distractions heading into the playoffs by extending Neal Pionk and Alex Iafallo?

15:01: Did Corey Perry and Phillip Danault's exchange in the media set the Oilers and Kings up to be the most entertaining first-round series?

18:50: Will Logan Couture go down as one of the best San Jose Sharks of all-time?

21:36: Will Ivan Demidov play in a depth role or top-six role for the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs?

24:26: Could Jet Greaves earn a full-time position with the Columbus Blue Jackets next season?

26:37: Breaking down the NHLPA player poll results

29:19: Should the Detroit Red Wings be concerned that their current core has peaked?

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The Ottawa Senators came up with a plan to limit a flood of Toronto Maple Leafs fans from attending the Canadian Tire Centre for Games 3, 4 and potentially 6 of their first-round series. 

When the Maple Leafs visit the Senators, the crowd often features a lot of blue and white competing with Ottawa’s red and black.

The Senators organization took a step-by-step approach to selling tickets for the Battle of Ontario and limiting Leafs fans. Their strategy to maximize Sens fans is through season ticket holders and newsletter followers.

Season ticket holders were able to purchase up to four tickets – two for them and two extra for other Sens fans. The Senators have an additional 902 season ticket holders from five weeks ago, team president Cyril Leeder told the Ottawa Citizen. The team also opened single-game ticket sales to subscribers to its newsletter on Thursday at 10 a.m. ET for two hours.

That didn’t leave many single-game tickets available for the general public when sales opened at noon.

“You won’t see much blue,” team owner Michael Andlauer told reporters at a Senators flag-raising ceremony at city hall on Wednesday.

This isn’t the first time that other teams have tried to limit Leafs fans from their rink. When Toronto faced the Florida Panthers in the second round of the 2023 playoffs, the Panthers restricted ticket access to purchasers with a U.S.-based credit card billing address.

The Senators and Maple Leafs faced off in the playoffs four times between 2000 and 2004. In 2004, the Leafs defeated the Sens in seven games. 

The Senators organization will not only hope to push out the blue-and-white noise but also win the latest edition of the Battle of Ontario. Game 1 takes place Sunday at 7 p.m. ET in Toronto.

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