Chara broiled

Ottawa Senators defenseman Zdeno Chara is out for 5-6 weeks with a broken finger, an injury which stemmed from a fight with Penguins defenseman Eric Cairns. The Sens are also without defenseman Chris Philips for about 4 weeks, and goaltender Dominik Hasek is still waiting to return. There have been rumours that Hasek won't be back at all this year, although Sens GM John Muckler has stated otherwise.

Right now, it's looking pretty good for the Canadiens to face the Senators in the first round of the playoffs, but that could end up backfiring. The Sens are still a deeply talented team, and losing a few key players isn't as much of a problem for them as it would be for other teams. Remember, Martin Havlat is expected to return sometime next week, and Ray Emery has been doing a pretty fantastic job in replacing Hasek in nets. Although these injuries might make it a bit easier to beat the Senators, the Habs shouldn't change their plan of trying to move up in the standings as much as they can.