For the first time in 10 years, the Ottawa Senator will play a game in the third round of the Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday night when they open their series with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Unlike 2007 when the Senators were in their prime, the Senators were not expected to advance this far in 2017, but appear to have the attitude that they are not just happy to be here and they plan on advancing to the next round, Penguins or no Penguins.
That attitude is led by their captain, emotional leader and best player in Erik Karlsson, who, if the Senators stand any chance at winning four of the next seven, will have to be the best player on the ice in at least 4 games. That is a tough ask considering he will be facing off against arguably still the best player in the world in Sidney Crosby, who has twice taken his Penguins where Karlsson desperately wants to take his Senators.
With the depth of the Penguins, Karlsson can't do it alone, and although the Senators have surprised a lot of people by winning two rounds, they still have yet to have a stretch where everyone on the roster is pulling in the same direction. They haven't played their best game yet as a team, and that means they have another level to get to.
As the series opens in Pittsburgh, the Senators are starting on the road for the first time in these playoffs. The key will be weathering the storm for the first period and letting the Pens, if they aren't already aware, that they will be in a series and their toughest matchup this spring is indeed the next two weeks or so and not the last two.
Yes, the Penguins are deep, talented, seasoned and the defending Stanley Cup Champions. But the Senators have a history this season of stepping up their game to the level of the opponent and have shown incredible resiliency.
The Penguins have gotten to this point largely on the shoulders of Marc-Andre Fleury, who would be their Conn Smythe candidate through 2 rounds, but as a whole they have been outplayed by a fair margin by two quality teams, but have still managed to come out on top. They can be had, and finding a way to get to Fleury and capitalize on their chances when they get them will be paramount to their chances of success.
Ottawa simply isn't good enough to waltz in and not give a full effort, a point I am sure they are well aware of. There will be a game or two in this series where the Penguins will take it to them and it won't be close, kind of like games 3 and 4 against the Rangers. I don't expect the opposite to occur at any point, because that isn't they way the Senators are built.
All that being said, if they can walk in and beat the Penguins in the opener, that would be huge and give them a boost of confidence not only for themselves but also a fan base that I feel is just waiting to see how this first game goes before really going #allin. I get the impression that they are teetering on the precipice of being happy their team is in Round 3 but tempering their expectations for fear of being let down and crushed by a perennial powerhouse. Coming home with a split or better would probably create pandemonium like the situation in 2007 where if I remember correctly the Red Mile on Elgin St was already in full swing by this time, and I don't perceive that level of energy right now.
A win tonight and I think that changes drastically.
As I said yesterday, the game isn't played on paper, and that is a good thing for the Senators. Sticking to their game plan and stifling the opposition while getting some timely scoring has worked so far, they just have to amp it up and do it more consistently against this team.
Let the games begin.