Well, Ottawa and Canada will have to wait another year for the Stanley Cup to come home.

The Senators executed their game plan almost to perfection, but they couldn't get the bounce they needed in overtime, and Chris Kunitz' goal just over five minutes into the second overtime period brought the Sens season to a sudden and shocking end.

Kunitz, who had some of the lowest totals of his career, opened and closed the scoring for the Penguins, hadn't scored in 34 games (21 regular season and 13 playoff games). I said yesterday that in game 7 it is quite often unheralded players that contribute in the big moments, and that was the case Thursday night. Kunitz also picked up an assist on Justin Shultz' power play marker, and Ottawa got goals from a struggling Mark Stone (20 seconds after Kunitz had opened the scoring) and Ryan Dzingel (tying the game 3 minutes after Schultz).

Ottawa did a great job of keeping the Penguins fans relatively quiet, answering quickly both times Ottawa scored in regulation, but such is the life of sudden death overtime, there is no chance to respond.

Credit the Penguins for finding a way to beat the system that was specifically built to slow them down and reduce the scoring chances against. In a series where 5 of the 7 games could have gone either way, the Pens were one goal better.

Craig Anderson was great for the second straight game, although he used up some of his nine lives in overtime, first on a breakaway from Phil Kessel where he out-waited the Pens sniper, and then on a point shot from Brian Dumoulin that he didn't even see coming because he was removing an errant stick from his crease. It would have been a shame to have the series end on a play like that, but instead it was a knuckle-puck from Kunitz that went over the shoulder of both Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who missed on the block attempt, and Anderson, who couldn't see the puck coming because of Pageau's presence.

It could have been vastly different, as Viktor Stalberg just missed picking off a cross-ice pass that would have sent the speedster in alone on a breakaway from his own blue line, but he missed it and about 5 seconds later the series, and the season, was over.

Credit Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan for getting the matchup he wanted, and it didn't take long. With Ottawa's third pair on the ice, Sidney Crosby got a rare shift away from Erik Karlsson and Marc Methot, and Chris Wideman couldn't contain the Pens' captain as he set up Kunitz' winner. Wideman was used sparingly, playing just 13+ minutes, including just 33 seconds in the first overtime period, but he and Freddie Claesson got caught on the ice for more than a minute before Kunitz' goal.

Speaking of being used sparingly, the 12th forward role fell to Chris Kelly for this one, based on the fact that he had Game 7 experience. Perhaps finding a player he trusted more than someone he would use for more than 3:41 in an 85 minute game would have been a better call, but that is how Guy Boucher used his bench of late (Colin White in game 6, and Chris Neil late in the Rangers series for example).

But that is sort of nit-picking an hindsight, but the Senators took their fans on a heck of a run over the last six weeks or so. Some players showed more than expected and changed a lot of minds (looking at you, Bobby Ryan).

The Penguins will go on to face the Nashville Predators in the Finals, and I think Senators fans wouldn't mind seeing Mike Fisher get handed the Stanley Cup.

Putting everything aside, from officiating and perceived botched calls (going both ways) to system to style of play, someone has to win and someone has to lose. Now we will find out over the next day or two, just how banged up (Erik Karlsson) the Senators were in the playoffs.

It was a roller coaster ride, on and off the ice, with good stories and bad, and I think all Senators fans join me in thanking the team for the tremendous run. Now the preparation begins for next season, for which the discussion will start in a couple of days.

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