There’s an old saying in sports and it goes like this – you’re never in trouble until you lose at home. See, it’s kind of bullshit.
If you lose the first two games of a seven-game series you are undoubtedly in a very real and tangible form of trouble. The other team is half-way there and you haven’t even started yet. You need to win four of the next five. If you lose the next one, you are basically cooked.
But the premise behind it is true.
If you can find a way to protect your home ice advantage and win the games in your barn, well then things turn in an awful hurry. And that’s where the Ottawa Senators find themselves heading into Game 3 TONIGHT.
In trouble but comin’ home.
Despite that precarious spot, the team seems mostly unbothered and generally seems to feel good about where their game is at. We’ve seen it from this group all year too. Even when things start to slide, there is a very real belief that they can get it back on track. The Coach is calm, the Captain is collected and looking at the first two games of this series, there is every reason to believe that the Senators can fight their way back into this thing.
They can play with these fucking guys. They just did.
Yea I get it…the fan base has demons when it comes to the Leafs. Listen, I got ’em too. But I can guaranfuckintee you it’s nothing compared to the playoff demons the actual Leafs have. You could see it in the second and third period last night. Did you see their faces after that Adam Gaudette goal? I sure as hell did. I saw that undeniable fear that’s lurking just below the surface.
The Division-winning “Cup contender” against the Wild Card and it was the contender hanging on for dear life. Yea, Toronto won the game. But the Senators walked into their building and dictated the way the game was gonna be played and came a shot away from a split. They were right there.
They just need a little push.
All year long, the Senators were a different team on home ice. And at times, unrecognizable on the road. A game under .500 away from the CTC but 27-11-3 in their own rink. Home ice matters for this team and that’s because this young group feeds off that energy. They’ve told us as much time and time again.
And now down 2-0, they’re asking us for help.
When the season ends, there will be time to look back. There will be time to look ahead too. But right now, the only thing that matters is Game 3. The game that we have been waiting eight friggin’ years for. A game that felt essentially impossible at the low points of the last decade. The only thing that matters right now is the fans in the rink giving the team that little bit extra that they didn’t have in Game 1 and 2. It might not be enough but we sure as shit will wanna know that we tried.
A playoff hockey game is being played in Ottawa TONIGHT. Say it.
If you are going to that game, it’s time to find another level. The CTC has been buzzing all year long but TONIGHT needs to be completely unhinged. This is a night eight years in the making and it comes at a time when it can make a real difference in the series.
Let’s give these guys a push.
Go. Sens. Go.
