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Posted by Gord Wilson on April 2, 2009 Hi everyone and greetings from Boston, where the Senators will end their six-game road trip. So far, Ottawa is 2-3 on this trip, with wins over the Rangers and Tampa and losses to Carolina, Atlanta and Tuesday against the Panthers. The loss to Florida was extra painful. It was a loss that officially eliminated the Senators from post-season play. For the first time in a dozen years, this team will not get a chance to play for the Stanley Cup. For some players on the team, it's the first time that's happened to them. Chris Phillips has played in the post-season every year he's been with the club. While there are still six games to play, the very harsh reality of not advancing any further beyond the regular season's 82 games will take another week or so to really set in. Understandable. But understand this ... This is a sad day. A very sad, sad day. In 12 days, this team goes off into the unknown, uncertain of what it will look like in five month's time.
I get the sense that the players don't quite grasp the reality of their true surroundings. Last year at this time, the majority of this group limped into the playoffs, likely knowing their run would be short.
It was supposed to be a lesson learned. This current season proved the learning process continues. With a disappointing last five months from players like Fisher, Kelly, Heatley, Spezza, Phillips, Smith, Neil and Ruutu, it is still painfully obvious no one is ready to get handed the torch that will guide this team. That being said, thank goodness Daniel Alfredsson seems to be getting better with age. Without him, there would not even have been a glimmer of hope down the final 20-game stretch. Because of that glimmer, the final few weeks have been the most enjoyable, but still, not fun enough.
It's all about winning. Because winning is fun. Today sucks. Big time. Lines for the tilt against the Bruins look like this: 15-19-11, 71-12-26, 89-22-25 and 73-18-10. D-pairings: 4-24, 9-17 and 14-55. Watch for Alex Auld to start in goal.
A 7 o'clock start for this one on Rogers Sportsnet with Dean, Ian and Shaun Van Allen. And of course, you can catch all the action on the TEAM 1200 and all along the OLG Slots and Casinos radio network with yours truly and Dave Schreiber. I'm Gord Wilson, enjoy the game.
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