The Senators didn't have to wait too long to find out where they would be heading for their date in the Eastern Conference Finals.
A night after dispatching the Rangers at MSG in game 6, the Penguins shut out Washington 2-0 in their game 7 showdown, setting up Sens-Pens to begin on Saturday night in Pittsburgh.
This will be the ultimate dichotomy, the golden boys in the Penguins against a team that nobody outside of the room expected to be here, the Senators.
A lot was made of the playoff format and how the Penguins (or whoever) would have to run the gauntlet to get out of the Metropolitan Division, and I am sure like the last series, the Senators will be big underdogs.
It will certainly be a huge challenge for the Senators, but they have shown an ability to not only overcome adversity but to also play well against good teams. The Penguins have to feel that their biggest challenge might just have been put in the rear view mirror, but they are too seasoned and too experienced to take the Senators lightly.
I will have my full preview and prediction tomorrow, but at first glance it will be tough to find many areas where the Senators will have a truly significant edge. But, the Senators have made a living off of bucking the odds this playoff, and you can't discount them and their potential to pull an upset.
If they played the series on paper, Ottawa wouldn't have a chance, but fortunately the Penguins still actually have to win 4 games to move on.
One thing that I am sure of, is that the NHL is dreading the thought of a potential Ottawa-Nashville Stanley Cup Final....