Sens vs Pens: Pre-series Thoughts

Posted: 9th April 2008 by Luc "Sandman" G. in Hockey

Sens vs Pens

Tonight the Ottawa Senators are taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. This is going to be an exciting series to watch, as both a fan of the Sens and a fan of hockey. In one corner you have a healthy Penguins team with the likes of Crosby, Malkin and Hossa. In the other corner you have a hurt Senators team, with Alfredsson, Fisher and Kelly out of the line up.

Can the Sens overtake the Pens in the first round like they did last year? Its pretty much unanimous from sports broadcasters that the Sens don’t stand a chance. Bah I say! I will admit that without Alfie, Fisher and Kelly in the lineup that the Sens are missing 3 very important players, but I have little doubt that the Sens can come out of this series triumphant. I believe that we will see a united Senators team that will display both a strong offense and a strong defense, better than we’ve seen all year. The playoffs are a completely new season, where all bets are off and where we often see the underdog take down the favourites. The Sens will bring forth a physical game that will wear down the young Pittsburgh team. Forechecking and backchecking will chip away at the Penguins, not only bruising their bodies but also bruising their egos and their chances of coming out of this series a winner.

I fully expect players like Vermette, Spezza, Heatley, Stilman, Neil, Phillips, Volchenkov, Meszaros, Commodore, Donovan, Bass and Lee to come out with guns blazing, bringing their A game and not letting up. This is the team that made it to the Stanley Cup finals last year and they now know what it takes to win. Heck, we might even see Redden show a bit of passion and get back to the form he was regarded for a few years ago (but I’m not going to hold my breath on that one).

As much as I have faith in my team, I do think this will be a long one. I expect this series to go to 6 games. I predict the Pens will come out with only 1 win in the first 2 games. The Sens will then win the 2 games at home, followed by a loss back in Pittsburgh, but winning the series at home on the 6th game. You can take this prediction to the bank! 🙂

For the other teams, here are my predictions:

There you have it folks. My predictions for the first round. Now I have to go find a bookie 😛

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