Jean-Pierre Allard of Smarting Senators weighs in following the Senators' 3-2 overtime win over the Sabres which sent Ottawa to the Stanley Cup final.
The Sens are in the Cup Finals! The Sens are in the Cup Finals! The Sens are in the Cup Finals! The Sens are in the Cup Finals! The Sens are in the Cup Finals!
OK, so it wasn't quite like a hysterical Russ Hodges after Bobby Thomson hit the Shot Heard
'Round The World at the Polo Grounds in October 1951. But you get my drift.
It was sudden and it marked the Sabres' death in five stunning games.
When head delivery boy Daniel Alfredsson skated in the Buffalo zone at 9:32 of the first overtime period this afternoon with 3 Sabres near him, no one in the Ottawa-Gatineau area thought this seemingly innnocent play would end with the ninth goal of this post-season and the biggest one of his 11-year career. His shot caught everyone by surprise, especially Ryan Miller in the Buffalo net, who probably would like that one back after playing suberbly to keep Buffalo in the game. To be fair, Alfie's wrister was sneaky fast and well-aimed in the far corner to Miller's left.
It also came at a time in the extra period when Ottawa looked to have lost a bit of steam, after Jason Spezza forced Miller to make an incredible stick save three minutes into the period.
For most of the first two periods, the Senators looked more like they were playing not to lose rather than playing to win, until the other two members of the Pizza Line, Dany Heatley first and then Spezza delivered goals 3:40 apart late in the second to put their team up 2-1 after two periods.
Alfredsson was instrumental on both goals, creating just enough interference to allow "Heater" to fire away a screened shot while he set up his big centre with one of the best dekes I've ever seen when on a 2-on-1, he faked a shot and made a cross-ice pass that Spezza only had to shoot into a nearly total open net. Simply breathtaking.
The Sabres, fighting for their season throughout the entire third period, finally evened things up on a power play with a little over 9 minutes left, courtesy of Maxim Afinogenov who buried the equalizer into an open net, after Daniel Briere's shot hit the post and rebounded his way.
So the Senators will be going to the Stanley Cup finals for the very first time in their 15-year history and can thank their big line for that. As the Delivery Boys go, so goes the Senators this happy spring. It's not rocket science.
For also the first time since third-year man Alfredsson, sophomore Wade Redden and rookie Chris Phillips were members of that young 1997-98 team that upset the Devils in the first round before running into the impossibly hot Capitals goalie Olaf Kolzig in the second round, Ottawa's best players have also been the best players on the ice for an entire playoff run. And I see absolutely no reasons for this trend to stop anytime soon, whether the opposition is the Red Wings or the Ducks.
Congratulations to all of the Senators, as well as coach Bryan Murray and GM John Muckler. I have to be perfectly honest here and admit that I never thought the current edition had enough size and grit to go as far as they have, in the process never shying away from criticizing the M&M team, and some of the players too.
Boy, oh boy,was I some wrong or what?
(N. Sager adds: Meantime, we understand the unique nature of Sabre-fan pain. Scott Norwood, O.J.'s fall from grace, "No Goal!", having no defencemen left for Game 7 vs. Carolina last season... it's just too painful.)
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