After Paul MacLean did his best to temper expectations a little bit yesterday, Jason Spezza has officially returned to Sens practice this morning.

The Head Coach suggested yesterday that he doesn't expect Spezza back to start the second round but today is obviously another huge step in his recovery.   Spezza wore a grey jersey along with healthy scratches Jim O'Brien, Peter Regin and Guillaume Latendresse.

It is official- The Ottawa Senators will take on the high flying Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Penguins finished of the New York Islanders in six games and now stand in the way of the Senators and a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals. With players like Crosby, Malkin, Iginla, the Penguins are going to give Ottawa everything they can handle in Round 2.

As the Ottawa Senators get some much needed rest and await their second round opponent, I wanted to pass along a cool initiative started and led by Sens fans.

If you haven't heard, Sens Money on the Board (or #SensMotB) is the latest twitter craze sweeping its way through Sens Army. The premise is simple- fans make pledges based on things that will happen in Ottawa Senators hockey games.

In the end, it wasn’t even close.  It was a series that at times looked like men against boys.

The Ottawa Senators rolled into the Bell Centre in Montreal, in front of one of the most passionate fan bases in sports, and finished off the Canadiens with a 6-1 drubbing.  The win closes out the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal and finally gives the Sens bragging rights over one of their local rivals.

After a dramatic win on Tuesday night, the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal shifts back to the Bell Centre in Montreal.

With a 3-1 series edge, the Ottawa Senators have a chance to punch their ticket to the second round with a win tonight.  Players and coaches have been saying it the past couple days but the fourth win is always the hardest and Paul MacLean knows his team will have to be at their best to finish off the Canadiens tonight.

After a miraculous come from behind win like last night's, it's kind of difficult to put it into words.

When I left Scotiabank Place on Sunday night after the Senators scored a convincing 6-1 win over the Habs in Game 3, I was convinced I had watched the best hockey game I'd ever see.  Well on Tuesday night, the Sens may have topped that with their dramatic 3-2 overtime win.

Tonight at Scotiabank Place, the Ottawa Senators have a terrific opportunity in front of their home town fans.

The 7th seeded Senators can take a commanding 3-1 series lead with a win over the Northeast Champion, Montreal Canadiens.  A loss and this becomes a best of three series with the Habs having a home ice advantage.  It goes without saying, but this is the biggest game of the season for the Ottawa Senators.

With the series shifting to Scotiabank Place, where the Senators have been lights out this season, Ottawa knew they had a chance to take control of their first round series with the Canadiens.

And they did exactly that on Sunday night, routing the Habs to the tune of 6-1.  Rookie Jean Gabriel Pageau was elevated to the status of folk hero, as the Ottawa native scored three times and sending the home town crowd away with what will go down as one of the most memorable games ever played at Scotiabank Place.

Despite missing out on a chance to take a 2-0 series lead, the Ottawa Senators battled their way to a hard fought split at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

Now the scene shifts to Scotiabank Place in Ottawa as the Sens look to use home ice advantage and take control over their first round series against the Montreal Canadiens. And as you'd expect after a loss in Game 2, the Sens are expected to shuffle their line up a little bit.