Ottawa's playoff hopes are hanging by a thread after the Senators fell behind 3-0 in their first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, leaving the capital city's hockey faithful searching for reasons to believe.
A Hole No Team Wants to Be In
No team in NHL history has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit to win — and the Senators now sit on the wrong side of that stat. Three losses in, Ottawa hasn't found an answer for a Carolina squad that has looked dominant at both ends of the ice. The Hurricanes have outworked, outhustled, and out-executed the Sens in virtually every phase of the game through three contests.
For a team that worked hard to earn its playoff spot and gave Ottawa fans genuine reason for excitement heading into the postseason, this collapse stings.
Game 4: Do or Die
Saturday's Game 4 tips off at 3 p.m. ET, and it is as simple as it gets: win or go home. For the Senators, there is no tomorrow if they don't find a way to put a full 60-minute effort together and steal one on the road.
The pressure will be enormous. But Ottawa has the talent to make it interesting — the question is whether the group can channel that pressure into something positive rather than letting it compound the mistakes that have plagued them so far in this series.
What Ottawa Needs
For the Senators to extend the series, a few things need to change:
- Goaltending must be sharper. Surrendering leads and getting chased in games is not a recipe for survival.
- Special teams have to show up. Power play efficiency has been lacking at a moment when Ottawa desperately needs momentum swings.
- Energy from the top lines — Ottawa's forwards have flashed brilliance in stretches this season, but playoff hockey demands that the stars carry the load night after night.
Carolina is a deep, structured team that doesn't give you much for free. Ottawa will need their best players to be their best players.
The Capital Is Still Watching
Despite the dire situation, Ottawa fans aren't the type to give up on their team. Canadian Tire Centre would be electric for a home game if the Sens can force Games 5 and 6 — but first things first. The road back starts Saturday.
Is a comeback possible? Historically, no NHL team has pulled it off. But sport has a funny way of writing its own script, and if Ottawa is going to author one of the greatest collapses in NHL history — for Carolina — or one of the most improbable comebacks — for the Sens — it all begins with a single win.
Game 4, Saturday, 3 p.m. ET. Tune in.
Source: Ottawa Citizen. Original article: Senators pushed to the brink
