Might have been a while since an NHL club rallied from 0-3 in a series…but the Sens can look to the 2004 Boston Red Sox for a recent example of what it takes. The Sox were down 0-3 versus the Yankees in what amounts to the semi-finals but rallied to win in 7.

Realistically, this team seems to be a long way from having any Cup winning mojo…let alone the ability to crawl back into this series. Perhaps what we’ll see tonight is a battle…a battle for jobs that is. GM / Coach Bryan Murray is going to be making some changes this summer for sure.

You have to think UFAs like Redden, Commodore, Richardson & Robitaille are gone for sure. But, their remain question marks around RFAs like Vermette and Meszaros. Also, Spezza and Heatley might be feeling the pressure a bit too. They both signed mammoth deals in the first 1/3 of the season for 6 and 7 years respectively. They remain, in my opinion, goods deals from a Senators stand point. But, rumours did start to circulate on last weeks CBC HNIC Hot Stove that Murray would look at dealing Spezza…especially if a top flight goaltender (like Luongo) could be had in return.

While Luongo’s probably unobtainable - dealing Spezza might still be in the cards. Despite superior playoff performances than Heatley for three straight season’s AND being the highest PPG Senator this year and last - he remains the whipping boy for many Sens fans. So I’m looking for Spezza to play this one out with some fire in the belly.

I won’t proceed to to breakdown this team until it’s officially over…but I will say that for my money Spezza, Heatley, Alfie, Phillips and Volchenkov are the untouchables on this team. Despite the struggles of 19 and 15 in the post-season it’s inaccurate to call them non-playoff performers. Let’s not forget that they essentially led the league (w/ Alfie) in playoff points last year and both were averaging over a PPG in the playoffs heading into this year. The problem lies elsewhere on this club…more on that later!