HOCKEY LAST NIGHT: THE CHARA-ED REMAINS OF THE SENATORS' DASHED DYNASTY

Bruins 7 Senators 2: Maybe it's been said already, but Dec. 19, 2006 was the day the phrase "average at best" was used to describe the Ottawa Senators. The Dynasty That Never Was is dead. Autopsy results are pending, but preliminary indication is the cause of death was Muckleritis.

Going by the callers to The Team 1200 post-game show after the Bruins and Zdeno Chara cleaned out The Vault last night without anyone in black and red even so much as tripping as the alarm, it's done, it's over -- it's time to come to terms with Ottawa being just another team. (Hey, the Martin Havlat trade was some early foreshadowing, although Tom Preissing, the only roster player netted in that 3-team deal, has been pretty solid for the Sens.)

It's unclear if the gloves are off among the hometown media -- who after all, are supposed to be the voices of reason -- but the fans have doffed their mitts.

One caller was even blasting Wade Redden for coming to training camp out of shape, which was just lunacy. Except in very rare cases, players don't show up to training camp in poor condition.

There wasn't as much basis for this earlier. Ottawa was below .500 early in the season, but still had a good goal differential, suggesting that their fortunes were about to change. Now they're losing games by lopsided scores -- 6-0, 6-2 and 7-2 within the past two weeks.

It's hard to watch the Senators play without wondering if coach Bryan Murray and GM John Muckler are taking turns skulking around the office trying to tape "Fire Me" signs to each other's backs.

Panthers 7 Leafs 3: Came home last night to an MSN message: "The Leafs sucked the bag hard." It figures Toronto would have to go and lose even more egregiously than Ottawa did, forcing capital-based Leafs fans to rein in their glee. (Hey, what's happened to the Sens has been almost painful for us to witness. Really.). As for the Leafs, Hal Gill has supplanted his namesake, Todd, as the defenceman who's become the scapeboard for four decades of accumulated frustrations and grievances on the part of Leafs Nation. Boo John Ferguson Jr. instead. He signed the guy.

Thrashers 4 Devils 3: As if Ottawa fans didn't already have the shiv in them and getting twisted already, Marian Hossa came within a missed breakaway of becoming the first NHL player to get three short-handed goals in one game.

Islanders 4 Rangers 3: Hard to say how long the undermanned Isles can keep this up, but yes, Ted Nolan is the clubhouse leader for the Jack Adams Award. As Darren Eliot wrote the other day at SI.com, he's not getting enough recognition for what most of the wise guys (present company included) figured was a mortal lock for 14th or 15th in the Eastern Conference. The timing for noticing could be better, since they just slipped by a reeling Rangers team thanks to Jason Blake's natural hat trick.

Canadiens 5 Sabres 2: The Habs probably haven't narrowed the gaps on the Sabres that much. Buffalo is regressing to their mean, and their power play is a mess (8.3% in their past 11 games). The Sabres should be fine.

Avs 7 Oilers 6: Was it Retro '80s night at Rexall Place? There was parachute pants, New Wave music and no defence to speak of. The last time Dwayne Roloson was in a game like that, he was playing Junior B in Belleville 19 years ago.

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Tonight's better games: Blue Jackets-Red Wings, 7:30 p.m.; Stars- Ducks, 10 p.m.

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