It comes down to this one game, game 82, the last in a pretty remarkable regular season. Get a point and the Ottawa Senators are in the playoffs, something that was unthinkable just two months ago. Lose in regulation to the Philadelphia Flyers and all is not lost, but there will be a lot of nail-biting as the Boston Bruins visit the Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Buffalo later in the evening needing a win to pass the Senators and end the tremendous run.
Whatever happens in the Senators-Flyers game, there will be games of interest for the Sens as no Eastern Conference matchups will have been determined even if they clinch early until after the early games of the night. But knowing they are in will allow them (and the fan base) to breathe a whole lot easier than if they needed help in the evening just to qualify.
It is tough to predict what the Flyers will bring to this one, with not much to play for except perhaps an Art Ross Trophy for Jakub Voracek. The Flyers winger trails Sidney Crosby and John Tavares by 3 points, so it would take a monumental effort to overcome for him, so the Flyers just might mail this one in, knowing that one of their more bitter rivals will miss the playoffs if Ottawa does win. Or, they could take pride in their peformance and not give an inch and make the Senators earn the spot they covet so greatly.
The Senators will have no excuse for a poor effort, and have their fate in their own hands on the final day of the season which is all you can really ask for. There isn't much set in stone in the Eastern Conference, but if the Senators make the playoffs, their first round opponent will be one of the Rangers, Canadiens or Lightning. A win against the Flyers, after Pittsburgh's loss on Friday night, takes the Rangers out of the equation and it would be either the Bolts or Habs.
Whatever happens, win or lose, make or miss, the run of the last 2 months has been worth the price of admission and bodes well for the future of the young franchise. Their young players have taken giant steps forward and they are better for the experience either way.
Screw that, bring on the playoffs. The kids have developed this season, but will develop even more when the games matter for real. Even though they have been playing playoff hockey for the better part of a month, when the streak turned from novelty into legitimate playoff contention, they will be much further ahead with a playoff series or two (...or more perhaps) under their belts as well. It is a different game when the lights get brighter and there are no more paychecks, just one prize at the end of a long and difficult road. I don't know if the team is ready to travel the entire stretch of road at this point in time, but all they need is a car on the starting line and anything can happen.