There have been some electric crowds at Scotiabank Place over the years.
When the Senators clinched the playoffs for the first time with a win over the Sabres, when Igor Kravchuk drove the nail through the Devil’s heart and in 2007 when a Stanley Cup Game was played in Ottawa. I expect all those to be rivaled by the crowd that packs SBP tonight when the Senators play Game 6 of their series against the New York Rangers.
Heading into Game 6 with a 3-2 series lead, the Sens have a chance to do something pretty special with a win over the Rangers tonight. As the number eight seed, the Sens were eliminated from the playoffs before the puck even dropped. But as this team has reminded us all year, that’s why they play the games…
In Game 5, we saw just how important it is for the Sens to get the first goal. Through the first 4 games, the Sens had barley any odd man rushes but once the Sens scored early in Game 4, they forced the Rangers to open up a little bit. The result was a number of excellent scoring chances for the Senators. Get the lead again tonight and we can expect more of the same.
The Sens and the SBP faithful should get a huge boost from the return of Daniel Alfredsson. Alfie missed the last three games with a concussion but will be in the line up tonight. That Alfie Chant that has picked up steam in these playoffs should hit another level when the clock hits 11:11 in the first period.
Swedish sensation Jakob Silfverberg was on the ice for the morning skate as was cagey playoff veteran Mark Stone. Both took turns on the top line but it looks like MacLean is leaning towards Silfverberg for Game 6. We'll have to wait till closer to game time to find out for sure.
Here is how the Sens are expected to line up.
Michalek-Spezza-Silfverberg
Foligno-Turris-Alfredsson
Greening-Smith-Neil
Konopka-O'Brien-Condra
Kuba-Karlsson
Phillips-Carkner
Cowen-Gonchar
If you are lucky enough to attend Game 6, get ready to make some noise. The crowd at Game 4 was absolutely electric but I expect fans to take it up a notch in this one. Don’t forget it’s a 7:00 PM start!!
GO SENS GO!
