Happy Sens Fan Dance

How happy are Sens' fans that the playoffs start tonight? Watch this video. Thanks to Lucas, who clearly has too much time on his hands.

Here we Goooooooooo!!!!!

Here we go. For the first time in 2 years, actual NHL playoffs. Hallelujah! The Senators open at home against Tampa tonight. Everyone likes Ottawa. Everyone. Except this guy, whoever he is.

Now, I’d ask you to join me in checking your worries at the door tonight. Here is my list of guilty concerns about my team. I’m sure we’ll have some in common.

No Dominik Hasek. No knock on Ray Emery but it’s like changing to a new beer. I know I liked my old beer. I just haven’t tried this new one yet. I’m worried it hasn’t aged enough. Hopefully it isn’t flat. A 23 year old rookie with zero playoff experience is not the ideal scenario for any team
Tampa is the reigning king. The “we’ve done it before and we can do it again” will make them tougher than you think.

8 years in the playoffs. Only victorious in 4 series. The pressure of past playoff failures adds a lot of pressure, compared to what the 8th seeded champs are facing, which is none.

Losing seven of ten so far in April. The Ranger finale was great but not enough to calm all nerves.

Too many tired, rusty or banged up guys? Phillips, Redden, Chara, Havlat are all going to have burning legs at some point in this series.

Too many people writing off Tampa because of goaltending. Anyone good enough to play in the NHL can get hot at playoff time. Anyone. Meanwhile, the disrepect really fuels the “It’s us against the world” mentality. I don’t care for it.

That “Sens army” won’t make noise. I know they’ll blow the roof off during the pre game and the anthem and after Senator goals but the Sens need it all the time. You’ve waited for this for two years, Ottawa. You are the 7th man and you intimidate no one when you’re quiet. Be Chicago stadium tonight. Repeat after me. “Go Sens. Go”.

There. All the reasons I’m nervous. It’s out of my system like the Leafs are out of the playoffs.

Now let’s kick some Tampa ass.

Everybody in the Pool

Here are your sleepers for this year’s NHL Playoff pool. By sleepers, I mean players who could slip past the lazy guys who don’t do any homework, other than grabbing the stats off the receptionist (no, not bra and waist size). These sleepers will all finish higher in team scoring than they did in the end-of-season regular stats.

Even someone like Martin Havlat didn't go until about 20th overall in our pool, simply because he was so far down the regular season scoring list.

Here we go…In the East…

Ottawa – Martin Havlat and Patrick Eaves.
Carolina – Josef Vasicek
Montreal – Andrei Markov
NJ – Patrik Elias
Buffalo – Daniel Briere, Tim Connolly, JP Dumont, Jason Pominville
Philadelphia – Joni Pitkanen, Sami Kapanen

Go West...

Detroit – Detroit - Steve Yzerman
Calgary – Jamie Lundmark
Anaheim – Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry
Nashville – David Legwand
San Jose – Steve Bernier, Matthew Carle