No matter what happens...

[LynxBud]

This ride's been fun, but I care more about the destination.. that's just me.

If we miss the playoffs and carry this momentum into next season, then that would just be awesome. However, I'm not getting my hopes up about it. Other teams go through these same rides and more often than not it doesn't carry on over the summer break.

I guess I'm in the very minority here, but "almost" making the playoffs doesn't excite, impress, or give me hope for a brighter future. It's what it is, a fun ride. Enjoying it while it lasts, but.. just gonna keep it real and enjoy it for what it is.

Or maybe I'm just way off and this is the beginning of something great.. time will tell!

 

[ChocolateLeclaire]

More than wins and losses, the Senators, to me, are about effort and entertainment. I would have a hard time cheering on a team that wins like the Devils did in the early 2000s (YAWN).

However, these last few weeks, I've LOVED watching the Sens again. Before Hammond, games were a chore. Now, it's must see TV. It's like every game during the past two weeks have been playoff games full of ups and downs. In the end, that's all I care about.

 

[alfie follower]

More than wins and losses, the Senators, to me, are about effort and entertainment. I would have a hard time cheering on a team that wins like the Devils did in the early 2000s (YAWN).

However, these last few weeks, I've LOVED watching the Sens again. Before Hammond, games were a chore. Now, it's must see TV. It's like every game during the past two weeks have been playoff games full of ups and downs. In the end, that's all I care about.

It's been entertaining as hell, and you're right with 'must see TV', but I'm taking tonight off. I told my wife we're going to a movie, cause I can't handle the Sens tonight. If we win, it's more prolonged agony of trying to get in, and if we lose, it will kinda be heartbreaking on a bunch of levels, for us and the players. I kinda just want it to be over, are we in or out. So, I'm taking a break tonight , but if it comes down to the Philly game as the final answer, I'm gonna watch it. I'm just burnt on this, and cant even imagine how the players feel.

 

[Senscore]

I'm very happy to see the team playing much better. I'm also very happy to see a guy like Andrew Hammond truly take advantage of what may have been his only NHL opportunity. He has truly put everything he has into his run this season.


I'm just not going to pretend that 9th place is anything but a terrible terrible position to be in. After years of hoping the teams I don't like finish 9th, I will not pretend that it's different because it's the Sens and that makes it special. Playoffs or bust.

 

[starling]

I'm very happy to see the team playing much better. I'm also very happy to see a guy like Andrew Hammond truly take advantage of what may have been his only NHL opportunity. He has truly put everything he has into his run this season.


I'm just not going to pretend that 9th place is anything but a terrible terrible position to be in. After years of hoping the teams I don't like finish 9th, I will not pretend that it's different because it's the Sens and that makes it special. Playoffs or bust.

Why would you want guys like Stone, Turris and Karlsson to bust again? They are carrying this team and bottoming out is not possible without proving that they are not good at hockey.

 

[Senscore]

I hope that's a joke.


"_____ or bust" is an expression.

 

[jason2020]

While it would be nice to make the play offs I am more excited about next year.

 

[NilssonTheWall]

I'm way to emotionally invested in this team. I've always been, but as I grow older, it seems my attachment grows. This run has been incredible; however as others have posted, playoffs are not 9th in the east. This team needs to progress, not regress, and this season will be a blip on the radar and soon forgotten if we come up short. My deepest fear is that our chemistry dissolves over the summer and we go back to our terrible start we had this season. I'm going to punish myself and watch the last 3 games, but god it hurts.

 

[jason2020]

I'm way to emotionally invested in this team. I've always been, but as I grow older, it seems my attachment grows. This run has been incredible; however as others have posted, playoffs are not 9th in the east. This team needs to progress, not regress, and this season will be a blip on the radar and soon forgotten if we come up short. My deepest fear is that our chemistry dissolves over the summer and we go back to our terrible start we had this season. I'm going to punish myself and watch the last 3 games, but god it hurts.

If they don't make the play offs there is 6-8 that should be in the world championships which would really help.

 

[starling]

I hope that's a joke.


"_____ or bust" is an expression.

What I'm saying is that in our situation finishing 17th is better than finishing 27th.

It would have to be a team with really weak core and bleak future to finish in the bottom-3 this season.

Some people like to bring up Montreal and Galchenyuk as an example of quickly busting to become contenders. Now think about it. It's 2012 and instead of establishing themselves as fringe second liners, Eller and Desharnais break out like Hoffman and Stone did for us this year. Habs finish just outside the playoffs, miss out on Galchenyuk and draft someone like Hertl or Forsberg.
Would you rather have Stone, Hoffman and Forsberg or Eller, Desharnais and Galchenyuk on your team?

Maybe with Eller++, Desharnais++ and Forsberg they would've been elite by now with instead of being a mediocre team in front of Carey Price.

We'll miss out on Galchenyuk this year, but have a good chance to draft our Forsberg to add him to the already good core.

 

[Xamar*]

We ended the 2009 season hot, the 2011 season hot (which dropped our draft position), and last year hot. We need to actually continue this play next year if we are to miss the playoffs..

 

[cage]

We ended the 2009 season hot, the 2011 season hot (which dropped our draft position), and last year hot. We need to actually continue this play next year if we are to miss the playoffs..

Yeah, that's how I feel. I do think this run they're on was needed as it's gotten everyone excited about the sens again and we still have a chance at making the playoffs. I think a lot of people were just losing interest in the sens before Hammond came in. I know I was.

But yeah, we've seen this team go on nice streaks before, usually after a coaching change. They can't seem to sustain it though.

 

[Senscore]

What I'm saying is that in our situation finishing 17th is better than finishing 27th.

It would have to be a team with really weak core and bleak future to finish in the bottom-3 this season.

Some people like to bring up Montreal and Galchenyuk as an example of quickly busting to become contenders. Now think about it. It's 2012 and instead of establishing themselves as fringe second liners, Eller and Desharnais break out like Hoffman and Stone did for us this year. Habs finish just outside the playoffs, miss out on Galchenyuk and draft someone like Hertl or Forsberg.
Would you rather have Stone, Hoffman and Forsberg or Eller, Desharnais and Galchenyuk on your team?

Maybe with Eller++, Desharnais++ and Forsberg they would've been elite by now with instead of being a mediocre team in front of Carey Price.

We'll miss out on Galchenyuk this year, but have a good chance to draft our Forsberg to add him to the already good core.

Maybe Carolina will swap first rounders straight up then.

 

[ChocolateLeclaire]

We ended the 2009 season hot, the 2011 season hot (which dropped our draft position), and last year hot. We need to actually continue this play next year if we are to miss the playoffs..

Um...we made the playoffs in 2009 and 2012 the following year...

In 2011 us "dropping" landed us Mika Zibanejad. We also drafted Stefan Noesens, Matt Puempel, Shane Prince, Pageau, and Frederik Claussen. Seems like we did amazing draft-wise.

2012 the team was playing great and had they beat the Rangers in Game 7, they could have gone deep in the playoffs. And we got Kyle Turris that year. Karlsson also won the Norris....2012 was amazing.

Not sure what point you're trying to make. Did playing great the season previous jeopardize the Senators?

 

[Very Stable Genius]

Best thing that happened this season:

 

[Xamar*]

Um...we made the playoffs in 2009 and 2012 the following year...

In 2011 us "dropping" landed us Mika Zibanejad. We also drafted Stefan Noesens, Matt Puempel, Shane Prince, Pageau, and Frederik Claussen. Seems like we did amazing draft-wise.

2012 the team was playing great and had they beat the Rangers in Game 7, they could have gone deep in the playoffs. And we got Kyle Turris that year. Karlsson also won the Norris....2012 was amazing.

Not sure what point you're trying to make. Did playing great the season previous jeopardize the Senators?

I mean in 2009 we went on a tear for Clouston during the end of that year which had many fans hopeful for the next year and beyond. We all know what happened during that 2009 summer, so I guess that might be why we weren't as dominate the next season as we thought we should be. The next year while a some-what good season didn't really lead us to much future real success. Yes we made the 2010 playoffs with 94 points, (1 more than we have now) but we got beat pretty handily by the Penguins embarrassed 3 times at home. Then the next year was one of my worst years in recent memory leading to us firing Clouston just hours after our season finale, despite a mini hot streak after getting Anderson. Yes I'm really happy for having ZBad, but that was the Landeskog year and the run effectively put us out of the running for him. 2012 was a good year, and was really unexpected. 2014 year was sorta the same, as we ended off really well and didn't continue the success into the early parts of this season. Hopefully this year is not like the others and this streak could be effectively carried over into next year and beyond..

 

[Senscore]

Best thing that happened this season:

Alfredsson has no respect for our valued elder players. Just classless.

 

[Ouroboros]

Alfredsson has no respect for our valued elder players. Just classless.

He's going to eat nachos on their graves.

 

[DrEasy]

Alfredsson has no respect for our valued elder players. Just classless.

I looked it up on Twitter, and can't find it. Maybe he realized what he did and unfavorited?

 

[sens4life]

Alfredsson has no respect for our valued elder players. Just classless.

...or it was an accident on his part by someone who doesn't use twitter very often...

 

[NyQuil]

He's going to eat nachos on their graves.

I laughed.

 

[sexytime]

I laughed.

Hey Nyquil, I'm your greatest fan and in some ways I'm one of yours.

 

[OD99]

I mean in 2009 we went on a tear for Clouston during the end of that year which had many fans hopeful for the next year and beyond. We all know what happened during that 2009 summer, so I guess that might be why we weren't as dominate the next season as we thought we should be. The next year while a some-what good season didn't really lead us to much future real success. Yes we made the 2010 playoffs with 94 points, (1 more than we have now) but we got beat pretty handily by the Penguins embarrassed 3 times at home. Then the next year was one of my worst years in recent memory leading to us firing Clouston just hours after our season finale, despite a mini hot streak after getting Anderson. Yes I'm really happy for having ZBad, but that was the Landeskog year and the run effectively put us out of the running for him. 2012 was a good year, and was really unexpected. 2014 year was sorta the same, as we ended off really well and didn't continue the success into the early parts of this season. Hopefully this year is not like the others and this streak could be effectively carried over into next year and beyond..

The difference to me is that streak was on the backs of Greening and Smith and Bobby Butler, etc...this team has grown together this year and is now playing aggressive, fast hockey.

They may not come flying out of the gates next season but I believe the skill this team has far out paces the skill of the Clouston teams. Stone and Hoffman are legit...ZIBBY is a work in progress and still has a lot to prove but even Lazar is showing he will be a contributor. ..add in Puempel who looked like he could play plus Prince (added Schneider is looking great) And it seems we just have to make sure we don't screw things up...llots of good forwards to choose from.

Still have good goaltending and then clear places to clean up the D...iI am optimistic this team will be in the hunt for the playoffs all next season.

 

[DrunkUncleDenis]

He's going to eat nachos on their graves.

I lol'ed so hard..

 

[NyQuil]

Hey Nyquil, I'm your greatest fan and in some ways I'm one of yours.