Corvo was asked again and again if that was the biggest goal of his career. Certainly it was. But one could also make an excellent case that it was the biggest goal in Senators' history. Mike Fisher’s Game 6 overtime winner against Toronto in 2004 is in the discussion. So is Chris Phillips’ Game 6 overtime winner in the ’03 Conference Final.But everyone agrees that the Senators are playing the best hockey in their playoff history. So much has been made of their poise and ability to handle adversity. There is a definite sense of destiny. But if Corvo hadn’t scored that goal and Buffalo did, it would have resulted in another heartbreaking playoff loss, the kind that can take a major gouge out of these new found feelings of poise and destiny. It also would have bolstered Buffalo's recent streak of last second heroics, leaving them feeling almost invincible for the rest of the series.
One could almost hear the city of Ottawa’s collective groan when Buffalo’s Daniel Briere tied the game with 5 seconds left in regulation time. A lot of fans probably uttered things like “You’ve got to be kidding me,” “Here we go again,” or “Our team is jinxed.” The TV replay of John Muckler’s press box eruption of anger said it all.
Thanks to the Corvo goal, the Sens take a 2-0 lead back home and their poise, confidence and sense of destiny not only remain intact but deeply enhanced. Overcome a regulation finish like that and you feel like you can overcome anything.
And that’s why, in the midst of this phenomenal run (just 9 losses in their last 57 games), it may be the biggest goal a Senator has ever scored.
