Craig Anderson (right) will be taking over for Andrew Hammond between the pipes in Game 3. (USATSI)
Craig Anderson (right) will be taking over for Andrew Hammond between the pipes in Game 3. (USATSI)

The Ottawa Senators will have a new starting goaltender between the pipes in Game 3 as the club looks to climb back into its first-round series with the Montreal Canadiens. Craig Anderson will get the nod in net after Andrew Hammond took losses in Games 1 and 2, putting the team in a 2-0 series hole.

Hammond confirmed that he won't play in Game 3 after the Senators' morning skate Sunday.

Anderson has played sparingly after returning from injury only to find his job had been taken by the surprising Hammond. The veteran netminder went 14-13-8 this season, with a .923 save percentage and 2.49 goals-against average. He hasn’t started since March 29 and hasn’t earned a win in net since March 8.

The 33-year-old goaltender does have much more postseason experience, though. Anderson is 10-12 over 23 career games in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He also owns a .926 career save percentage and 2.60 goals-against average. Anderson has been the better goaltender on home ice this year, with a .923 save percentage in 17 games at Canadian Tire Centre. Hammond has a .911 home save percentage.

Hammond was definitely shaky in the first two playoff starts of his career. He allowed seven goals on 81 shots, good for a .914 save percentage and 3.44 goals-against average. This came after he went 20-1-2 in 24 appearances in the regular season with a .941 save percentage and 1.79 goals-against average. As magical as that run was, Hammond doesn’t have enough of a track record to prove he can sustain it, and so far, he hasn’t been able to.

A change in net might also send a message to the rest of the team that they need to play better in front of the goaltender. Montreal is not a great possession team, but they hold a slight advantage in that department, having controlled 51.3 percent of the total shot attempts in the series.

The losses in the first two games aren’t on Hammond, but he also didn’t come up with a few saves the team needed him to. Going with Anderson gives the Senators a more experienced hand in net with the pressure mounting in a 2-0 hole.