The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

Well, my Sens are the clear underdogs in their series against Pittsburgh and not too many expect them to come out on top. Interestingly enough, over at the Ottawa Sun, Bruce Garrioch and Chris Stevenson actually pick Ottawa to win; interesting because they have been throwing them under the bus since the New Year.

But still, as it gets closer to game time, I'm getting excited. And I'm also feeling more optimistic about my Senators. Like the cliché goes, it's a brand new season. Anything can happen. Is everyone so confident about the Sens demise that they would bet their life savings on a Sens defeat? No! So we try to keep the faith. Like that song...Keep the Faith! That's what has been missing since the Sens limped into the playoffs: the fun factor. It's all doom and gloom forecasted for Ottawa, even I don't think they'll come out on top. So why bother watching? I'm going to try instead to have as much fun as possible and not worry so much about the disaster that everyone has predicted for the Sens.

So for Sens fans everywhere, here are some more positives to think about as we cheer them on:

1) Karma. Pittsburgh took a knee on the last game of the season so they can play Ottawa. That's a big no no, and it'll do nothing but motivate the Senators to play their best.

2) Defence. There's skill, but no one scary on the Pittsburgh defence. No Chris Prongers or Adam Footes to worry about. Hal Gill is big but is about as quick as....er, Mike Commodore. Heatley and Spezza should be able to skate circles around them.

3) They're on the road. Just get a split in the first two games, and you're already ahead. Everyone expects Pittsburgh to win the first two games. Win game one, and all of a sudden Pittsburgh will start questioning themselves. Nice!

And for some advice for Ottawa, I'd recommend hitting the opposition at every turn. Ottawa has more players that get their nose dirty then they have in recent memory. Young and old alike, such as Cody Bass, Shane Donovan, Chris Neil, Martin Lapointe, Mike Commodore, Christoph Schubert...maybe it wouldn't be such a bad strategy to forget offense for game 1 and just keeping running your body at them. Guys like Malkin will quickly disappear if they're scared to get injured.

I'm in a good mood now. Now let's see if I'll be in just as good a mood once tonight's game ends.