Canadiens stick pin in Hammond's balloon

Is Andrew Hammond's magical season over? 

It very well might be. The goalie led a magical Senators March campaign to help the team earn a playoff spot, but his powers didn't seem to extend to the postseason. Hammond surrendered four goals in the second period of Game 1, and he allowed a soft goal in overtime of Montreal's Game 2 win.

Hammond was passed over for the start in Game 3. Senators coach Dave Cameron elected to go with Craig Anderson instead, and while Cameron hasn't named a starter yet for Game 4, both Ottawa's and Hammond's season will come to a swift close should Anderson start the game and lose.

Still, the goaltender remained upbeat and focused on the task at hand after practice on Tuesday.

"My personality is that I just stay even-keeled,” Hammond told the Montreal Gazette. “I don’t really get too high or low and to go on the run that we did the last third or quarter of the season, I think that helped.

“I’ll enjoy [the run the Senators had] this summer because there’s been a lot of hard work to get to this point. But I don’t think it’s the time or place right now to get absorbed in all that."

(h/t Montreal Gazette)